The Ties That Bind
by shiawasena neko
Summary: Set during "Made to Suffer" during S3, when the group goes to Woodbury to free Glenn and Maggie. Daryl is captured but not killed. The Governor holds him captive and uses Daryl for his sexual pleasure. Warnings for rape, mpreg, forced feeding and torture. May be OOC. This is also x-posted to one of my AO3 accounts.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Daryl's arms hurt. It wasn't a sharp pain - that time had long since passed. Now it was more of an annoyance. A feeling of strain mixed with pins and needles, as if his limbs had fallen asleep.

It probably wasn't good, Daryl knew that for sure, but that was the least of his worries.

He'd been tied to the Governor's guest bed, naked, for about a week now. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. A week was Daryl's best estimate.

He'd been captured while trying to get Glenn and Maggie out - caught by surprise. He thought for sure the Governor's men were going to kill him. Then he saw Merle's face, and knew that he had at least a shot at staying safe.

Now, a week later, Daryl almost wished that they had killed him. It was better than the torture that was his daily existence.

He couldn't move too much - his hands were handcuffed to the headboard of the bed, but he could turn his neck slightly. He used this ability to glance at the small clock on the night stand. Five fifteen. Most likely five fifteen in the evening, judging by the events of the past few hours. Daryl sighed. That meant that the Governor would be back, soon.

00

Daryl was right. It wasn't long before he heard the front door open and footsteps as the Governor walked inside. Seconds later, the bedroom door opened.

"Good evening, Daryl," the Governor greeted him.

Daryl didn't reply and made no effort to look in the man's direction.

The man chuckled at Daryl's lack of response.

"Still being quiet, eh? That's alright. You'll serve my purposes whether you talk or not."

Again, Daryl didn't move.

This time the Governor walked further inside. He removed his vest, placed it on a hanger and hung it up. Then Daryl heard the familiar sound of chains jingling.

The Governor walked towards the bed and wrapped a chain collar around Daryl's neck. Then he unlocked one of the handcuffs, freeing Daryl's left arm. Before the hunter could even try to move, the Governor had it restrained again, holding it against Daryl's back. He did the same with Daryl's right arm, then quickly slipped on another pair of handcuffs.

"Get up," he instructed, pulling on the chain. The movement caused Daryl to choke, and he struggled to get sitting up as fast as possible. Finally, he managed to get to where he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Good. Did David take you out today?"

Daryl stared at the floor, still unwilling to speak. Unfortunately, this just made his captor angry.

"Speak to me when I ask you a question, unless you want another finger broken."

Daryl tried not to cringe at the mention of that. Two days prior, he hadn't reacted the way the Governor had wanted. The Governor punished him by breaking his left ring finger. He left it unset for a full day before finally sending David to tend to him.

Daryl didn't want that to happen again.

"...He did," he answered, softly.

"Good. I trust that there were no accidents, then?"

"...No."

The Governor was referring to another incident. This one happened on the second day that Daryl was tied up. He hadn't been let up to use the bathroom. Rather than ask to be taken, Daryl had gone on the Governor's bed intentionally. Just a nice little 'fuck you', he figured.

He'd been beaten pretty hard after that, and the Governor had begun sending David, his little assistant, over to make sure that Daryl got bathroom breaks while the Governor was working.

"Good."

The Governor yanked on the chain and pulled Daryl to his feet.

"Let's go."

Daryl trudged along until they reached the bathroom. The Governor opened the door and motioned for Daryl to walk in.

"Sit."

Daryl glared at him, but did as he was told, taking a seat on the toilet. It was fairly uncomfortable, with his hands pushed right up against the toilet seat behind him.

The Governor tied his chain to a metal bar that he'd installed on the bathroom wall, the same way that one might tie up a dog outside a store.

"You have three minutes."

With that, the door slammed shut.

00

After using the bathroom, Daryl was forced into the shower. He knew that the Governor had hot water, but he always turned it on cold. Daryl tried not to shiver too much, but it was near impossible.

The Governor shook his head disapprovingly.

"Look at you. Can't even stand a little cold water."

Daryl kept his eyes focused on his feet, but he could feel the other man staring at him, waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, hating the fact that he'd given in. He just really hadn't felt like being beaten again tonight.

Daryl stood under the shower for what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes. His teeth had begun to chatter by the time that the water was turned off.

The Governor looked him over, ensuring that he was clean, and toweled him off. It left Daryl still cold, but feeling very slightly better than he had prior. When Daryl saw that the Governor was taking the towel back with him to the bedroom, he knew what was coming next, and it wasn't going to be good.

00

"...So...Fucking...Tight…" The Governor grunted, as he pushed in and out.

Daryl was once again handcuffed to the bed, faced down, except now he was lying on the towel and had two pillows propped under his lower stomach. This made it easier for the Governor to get inside of him.

"...Ugh," the man continued, pushing in even deeper.

Daryl couldn't help but groan. The Governor was pretty well hung and it hurt.

The Governor must have mistaken Daryl's groan as one of enjoyment, because he responded with "Yeah, you like that."

After that, Daryl did his best not to make any noise. He didn't like this. He hated it more than anything. He'd been beaten more times than he could count in his life - by his father, by Merle's friends, but this - being raped - was the absolute worse punishment he'd ever had. He never thought that it was possible to feel so violated.

What made it even worse was that, prior to then, Daryl had been a virgin.

The first time it had happened, Daryl had wanted to cry. Now, he just wanted it to be over. Then maybe the Governor would give him something to eat, and maybe he could sleep. At least he didn't dream much anymore, so he had some salvation there.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Another week passed. Then two. Daryl had been captive in the Governor's residence for the better part of a month.

Once again he was tied to the bed, face down.

Now his ass hurt as well as his arms. The Governor had felt rather horny that morning and had woken Daryl up for some 'fun'.

As it was a Sunday, Daryl knew that the Governor would be home until the early afternoon. This meant that he would likely get extra attention, and this, surprisingly, could be good.

Usually on Sundays, the Governor made Daryl an actual breakfast instead of the few bites of cold grits or stale bread that he typically got. He often even led Daryl to the table and fed him the food. It was still horribly demeaning, yes, but it made Daryl feel at least somewhat close to normal.

As Daryl predicted, the Governor came in soon enough, already dressed, and began putting the collar on. He pulled Daryl up and urged the man to follow him into the kitchen.

As he walked, Daryl could see several types of food laid out. Scrambled eggs, sausages, even some hash browns. Previously, the sight of food made Daryl's stomach growl. Now, after being starved for so long, he barely felt hungry at all. Just tired. Very, very tired.

The Governor tied Daryl to a chair and sat down next to him.

"It's quite nice out today," the man said, as he spooned a small amount of eggs and potatoes onto a plate. "Not a cloud in the sky."

Daryl didn't know what to say. It wasn't like he could go outside, or anything to that extent. Even the windows were covered with wooden blinds. Whether it was gorgeous out or pouring rain made no difference to him.

The Governor waited a few seconds for a reply, but when it didn't come, he gave up.

"Open wide," he said, holding up a fork full of potatoes.

Daryl did as he was told, opening his mouth, chewing and swallowing as his captor directed. The food tasted pretty good, but he didn't focus on it. His mind kept going back to that night - the night that he'd been left behind.

The group had gone to Woodbury to rescue Glenn and Maggie, who were apparently being held there. They had slipped in under the cover of dark and had found the two, but the Governor's men had caught up.

There'd been a firefight - gunshots exchanged between both groups. Daryl had hung back to provide some cover fire, so that the others could get ahead.

He was pretty proud of himself. He'd managed to hold off the Governor's men for at least a minute, giving the others more than enough time to escape.

Then he'd turned and… Everyone was gone.

At first he thought they may have run to the back of the building, trying to get away from the line of fire. He ran back as well, only to find the area empty.

Stunned, Daryl stopped in his tracks. It was then that Merle and his group had caught up.

Daryl closed his eyes, trying not to think of anything too painful. This was the one day each week that he got to be treated at least somewhat like a human, he didn't want to ruin it.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder where the others had gone. Had they escaped? They must have, otherwise he would've heard something about them being captured or killed. The Governor would have loved to rub that in his face.

If they weren't killed, or captured, then where were they? And were they ever coming back?

Daryl looked down at his plate. He was almost done with the small portion of food that he was allowed. It was then that it hit him - if the group had intended to come back, they would have done it by now. Too much time had passed.

Suddenly, Daryl felt sick. It took all of his willpower not to vomit.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

After breakfast, the Governor led Daryl back to the bedroom, tied him back up and left for the day. For once, Daryl was grateful for this. He felt awful - tired, sick and depressed.

Up until then he had truly thought that his stay in Woodbury would be temporary. He'd helped the others many times before, and it seemed reasonable to think that they would do the same for him.

Apparently he was wrong, though.

Daryl closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, something to get his mind off of everything.

The first thought that came to mind was being with Carol. He imagined the two of them, in a safe place. Carol was sitting on the ground and Daryl was resting his head on her lap. She carded her hands through his hair, and it felt fantastic.

Daryl imagined what she smelled like: clean, with a touch of something flowery. Lavender, maybe. That was one thing he liked about her - she always smelled nice, even though they'd only had whatever soap they'd found in the prison to wash with. He wondered if she was just naturally like that, then. Nice smelling.

The hunter allowed himself to enjoy his fantasy for a little while, not wanting to face his current reality.

00

A little after midday, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

"Yeah?" Daryl called out.

He knew who was there. David always knocked before he came in. He wasn't sure why, but he did. Daryl kind of liked it though. It seemed like a nice gesture to a small extent, to treat him like a person who deserved privacy.

David walked in, closing the door behind him. Daryl struggled to turn to see him.

The kid wasn't too old. Early twenties, Daryl guessed. He was hispanic, muscular and well kept, with handsome features and long, straight, black hair which he always pulled into a ponytail.

"The Governor wanted me to check on you. How are you doing?"

"Fan-fucking tastic," Daryl replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, I know. Stupid question." David sat down on the edge of the bed. "You look a little pale."

The kid reached out and placed a hand on Daryl's head, checking for a fever.

"You don't seem warm. You feeling okay? Besides the handcuffs and all, I mean."

"Well…" Daryl started. He really didn't feel well. He'd been nauseous since breakfast, but he didn't know if he would be punished if he was found to be sick.

"Yes?" David asked. "You can tell me. I'll try to help you."

Daryl knew that the kid was being sincere. David actually seemed to care about his well-being. He was always very patient and gentle with Daryl and Daryl got the idea that the only reason he was even helping the Governor was to protect himself and his little daughter.

"I feel like I'm gonna throw up," Daryl admitted. "Since this morning."

David nodded, "I see. Anything else?"

"Not really. Just tired."

"Alright. I'll go down to the infirmary and see about getting you -"

"No," Daryl said, cutting the kid off. "Don't do that."

It would have been one thing if the kid had some medicine on hand, or at his home, or something, but Daryl still feared drawing more attention to his condition. If the kid went to the infirmary word would get back to the Governor for sure.

"Are you sure? It's really not a big deal, I'm sure they'll give me something for you to take."

"No. I'm fine, don't worry about it. It's nothing."

"Alright," David agreed, but Daryl could tell that the kid would probably be watching him like a hawk, at least for the next few days.

But the next words out of the kid's mouth were a total surprise.

"I hope you're telling the truth, because you have a big day coming up. It'd be a shame if you were too sick for it."

"I do?" Daryl asked. "What's goin' on?"

"Merle's coming to see you."

Daryl's eyes widened, and he began to feel a sliver of hope.

00

For the rest of the day, Daryl felt excited. Maybe when his older brother saw his condition, he'd get him out.

Merle had yet to visit him. Whether that was by Merle's own choice or not, Daryl wasn't sure.

He believed that Merle loved him. Granted, it was sort of a weird, twisted love, but it was there. He couldn't imagine that Merle would be okay with all of this.

The thought of being free pushed away any feelings of sickness or depression that Daryl had. The nausea he'd felt all day was gone, and he no longer felt tired.

Daryl spent several hours thinking about what he was going to say when Merle arrived, if he was even allowed to say anything. If he could get a few minutes alone with his brother, he would want to tell him what was going on. How he'd been raped, and beaten and starved, and how hurt he was, and how he just wanted to be released and that he wouldn't even try to come after the Governor, if he could get out of Woodbury.

That seemed fair. Merle might not help him if he felt that there would be some other battle because of it. Merle probably wouldn't want to be dragged into anything like that again.

With his mind made up about that, Daryl eventually drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Carol and the woods and fresh air and his crossbow.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Daryl woke early the next morning feeling extremely sick. He had barely even opened his eyes when the urge to vomit became nearly overwhelming.

He tried to take a deep breath, to calm himself. Maybe he could talk his body out of puking.

For a second, he thought it might work.

Then he felt bile rising in his throat. He closed his eyes again, willing himself not to be sick.

He began to sweat, and it became harder to breath. Once again, he tried to steady himself, but this time, his body just wasn't having it. Daryl began to heave, vomiting on the bed.

His stomach contents burned as they came back up. There wasn't much there, Daryl knew, so it was mostly stomach acid. Still, his body didn't seem to want to stop. He continued to dry heave for a long while after.

When it was finally over, Daryl felt drained. And disgusted, too. Disgusted at himself, for being unable to keep himself from being sick, and disgusted at the pile of vomit that was right next to his head. It was only by some miracle that he still had been able to turn his neck enough to keep from face planting in it.

Then there were footsteps, and the door opening.

'Fuck...', Daryl thought to himself. The Governor wasn't going to be happy.

00

"You don't even have to do anything, and you managed to fuck that up," the Governor said, as he tied the chain to the post in the bathroom.

Daryl's chin and upper chest was covered in vomit, and the Governor was cleaning him up. He turned the shower on, cold water as always, and urged Daryl to get in.

The water hit Daryl's face and he closed his eyes while waiting for the majority of the mess to be cleaned away.

"This wasn't another one of your games, was it?" The Governor asked, a hint of anger in his voice. "I swear to god, I ought to have let you just stay there, covered in your own sick for the whole day, but I just can't imagine how bad that would smell in twelve hours. Disgusting, really. You are truly a sorry excuse for a man."

"It wasn't on purpose," Daryl replied, softly.

"Right. It's no surprise why your little friends didn't come back for you. You must've put them in jeopardy a lot of times, what with your inability to control yourself. If it weren't for that nice, tight hole of yours, I'd be apt to off you myself."

Daryl swallowed, wanting to scream but not daring to do it. He didn't want to put meeting with Merle at risk by angering the Governor any moreso.

Another minute passed, the cold water feeling even colder as time went by. Then the Governor turned it off.

"Get out."

Daryl stepped out of the shower and stared down at his own feet. The Governor toweled him off as he always did, then led him back to the bedroom. There, David was just finishing up remaking the bed, having removed the dirty sheets and comforter to take for cleaning. The kid gave Daryl a sympathetic look, but quickly left the room.

"Lie down," the Governor growled, shoving Daryl towards the bed.

Daryl did as he was told, complying quietly as the Governor once again chained him up.

"Your punishment for today is no food. No bread, no grits, nothing. If you're good, then tomorrow morning you can have something, but do not test me. I won't hesitate to make you go longer. The human body can go a long time without food, so long as there's water. David will bring you some later."

Daryl nodded in agreement then rested his head. He just wanted to sleep. Maybe he would feel better when he woke up.

00

A knock on the door woke Daryl. David was back.

"Yeah," Daryl called out, stunned at how hoarse his voice sounded.

The kid walked in holding a pitcher of water and a plastic cup.

"How're you feeling?"

"Shitty."

David nodded, then poured some water into the cup. He had to hold it to Daryl's lips for the captive to be able to drink it. The feeling of the cold water touching his dry throat was wonderful and he drained the cup quickly.

"Wow. You must be thirsty," David noted.

Daryl gave him a look that said 'no shit', but didn't verbally reply.

"You can have another glass but drink it slower. Don't need you getting sick again."

The kid poured more water and held it up for Daryl. For his part, Daryl followed the kid's directions.

When Daryl was finished, the kid spoke up.

"Do you need to go to the bathroom? 'Cause I can take you."

"Yeah." Daryl was surprised that he actually had to go, considering he felt like he had nothing left in his system.

David put the cup down and began the process of putting on the collar and removing Daryl's handcuffs.

As they walked out of the room, they heard the sound of something thumping. Both looked to the closet.

"Penny," David mumbled.

Sometimes Penny would hit her head into the closet door repeatedly. Daryl assumed that the walker smelled them and was trying to get out.

"Ignore it," David added, when he noticed that Daryl was still looking at the door.

Daryl walked into the bathroom and watched as David tied up the chain. The kid felt bad about it, as he always did.

"I know this kinda sucks but… I don't know. Take your time. You don't have to do the three minute thing while I'm here."

"Thanks," Daryl answered.

Well, it was better than nothing.

00

When David returned later in the dark, he was holding a paper bag, along with the pitcher of water.

Daryl looked at the clock. Seven at night. The Governor should have been back by then. Daryl looked at the kid expectantly.

"He says he's going to be out later tonight. Wanted me to come check on you again."

"Oh."

Daryl felt like he should have been happier about that then he was. It most likely meant that the Governor wasn't going to be having any 'fun time' with him that evening. Daryl felt too tired to enjoy the freedom, though.

"How are you? Feeling sick at all?"

"Not now."

"Good. I, uh…I brought you something."

Daryl stared at him, wanting him to continue.

David pulled a small container out of the bag he was holding and showed it to Daryl. It was some type of sandwich.

"It's not much but I figured you needed something."

"Oh. Wow. Thanks…" Daryl replied. He fully expected David to feed it to him, the same way he always fed him during the day, but the young man surprised him yet again.

"You're not gonna run off if I unchain you, will you? 'Cause then he'll kill me, and probably Elena too."

Daryl sighed.

"Even if I wanted to, I doubt I could even get out the door," Daryl said, truthfully. He was weak and he knew it. Walking more than a few feet would be out of the question.

"Yeah. You're probably right." David looked over the handcuffs. "Alright."

He unlocked Daryl's wrists and helped him to sit up, even going so far as to provide Daryl with an extra blanket to cover himself with. Once Daryl seemed to be comfortable, David handed the sandwich over.

"Thank you, man." Daryl was truly grateful.

He took a small bite of the sandwich to make sure that eating it wouldn't make him sick. When he felt confident that he would be alright, he ate faster. It was a peanut butter and grape jelly, but to Daryl it could've been a thousand dollar meal. About halfway through, he patted the side of the bed.

"You can sit down," Daryl offered.

David shrugged and took a seat. He poured out some water and handed the cup over to Daryl, who again thanked him.

After drinking a glass of water, Daryl took one more bite of the sandwich, then stopped.

"You okay?" David asked, confused.

"...Yeah."

Daryl was okay, just annoyed. He really wanted to finish the sandwich but he knew he wouldn't be able to, at least not without discomfort. His body just wasn't used to eating normal portions anymore.

"I just… can't finish that," Daryl continued. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I understand," David said, holding out his hand to take the rest of it.

Daryl handed it over, but held onto the cup of water.

"He really should be feeding you more. You look like one of those holocaust victims."

Daryl snorted.

"I wouldn't go that far. I've just lost a bit of weight is all."

David stared at him again, trying to figure out if Daryl was joking or not.

Seeing David sitting there staring at him, Daryl decided to change the subject.

"So.. Elena's your daughter, right?"

David grinned at the mere mention of the girl's name.

"Yeah, she is. Wanna see her?"

"Sure."

David pulled out his wallet, removed a photo and handed it over. It showed a little girl with the same straight black hair as David, but with a heart shaped face and big brown eyes. She was holding a stuffed teddy bear doll and smiling.

"That's here when she was three. She's four, now."

"She's beautiful. Looks like a sweet kid."

"She is. She loves animals… We're slowly accumulating pets over at our house. Any stray cat or dog that comes along, Elena wants to take in. It's hard for me to put my foot down, after all that happened."

"I take it your wife is gone?" Daryl asked.

Daryl nodded, "She died when Elena was two."

"I'm sorry."

"It is what it is." David continued to look down at the photograph.

Daryl waited for what felt like a long enough time to be respectful before talking again.

"Can I ask you something?"

"I don't know. Can you?" David joked.

Daryl tried not to roll his eyes.

"I'm serious."

"Yeah. Okay."

"You said Merle's comin'. Do you know when?"

David's shoulders slumped.

"Come on, man, if I tell you that and he finds out that I did -"

"I swear, I won't let on that I know. I just want to know what to expect is all." Daryl tried not to sound like he was pleading, but it was hard.

"Ah, fuck. I should've never done all this for you." David stood up and motioned for Daryl to move. "Turn over."

Daryl didn't fight David as the younger man handcuffed him back into place.

"Please," Daryl tried. "I won't say a word about it."

David pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Fuck."

He was silent for a moment, "Let me think about it, okay? I'll think about it tonight."

Daryl wanted to press him again but decided against it. He had to give David some space, or the kid would close off completely.

"Yeah, that's cool."

David nodded and packed up everything he'd brought.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll see you later."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

"Fuck," Daryl hissed.

He'd just woken up and again was overcome with nausea. Not wanting to invoke his captor's wrath again, he tried to call out for help.

"Help….Please…" He got out, struggling to keep from being sick.

Nothing.

"...Please," he repeated.

Daryl would have felt embarrassed or even angry at how pathetic he sounded, had he not been feeling as terrible as he was.

Thankfully, right then, the door opened.

"What's going on?" The man asked.

"Gonna be sick," Daryl told him.

The Governor shook his head and walked out, then returned seconds later with a large bowl. He placed it near Daryl's mouth, and not a moment too soon. Daryl began to heave, throwing up the little in his stomach.

The whole time, the Governor looked on. He even placed a hand on Daryl's back, rubbing him gently. It was more disturbing than comforting, though. Daryl would have cringed had he not been so preoccupied.

When it was over, the Governor took the bowl away.

"Something's wrong," he said.

"I'm fine," Daryl replied, in between breaths.

His whole body hurt and despite sleeping through the night, he still felt tired. Medical attention wasn't worth any punishments that the Governor might dish out, no matter how concerned he sounded.

"Hm."

"I'm fine, I swear," Daryl reiterated.

"I'm not so sure."

With that, the Governor turned to leave.

00

David came later in the morning, as per usual. By that point Daryl had fallen back asleep. David woke him up gently, rubbing his back the same way that the Governor had. This time it didn't seem so bad though.

"Hey," Daryl greeted him.

"Hey. Heard you were sick again?"

"It's nothing."

"I hope you're right."

Daryl wanted to respond 'me too', but kept quiet.

"I brought you some bread."

Just the thought of eating anything made Daryl's stomach turn, but he knew that refusing would just make David worry more.

"Thanks."

David nodded and began to feed him, and Daryl couldn't help but feel disappointed that the kid hadn't untied him the way he had previously.

After a forcing down a few bites, Daryl spoke up again.

"So… Have you thought about it?"

David frowned.

"I have."

"You're not gonna tell?" Daryl braced himself for what he assumed would be disappointment.

"Tomorrow night. But you'd better not let on that you know!"

"I swear, I won't," Daryl promised, stunned that David had given him the information. "Thank you!"

"Yeah, sure. You'd better not be lying. I'm depending on it. Elena is depending on it!"

"I'm not. I really appreciate this, David. Really."

"Yeah. You need to look good for tomorrow, just so you know."

"I do?"

"Mhm. That said, we have a lot to do today."

"Great." Daryl was being sarcastic, but wasn't sure if the kid caught on.

Apparently, he didn't.

David began unlocking the handcuffs.

"First things first, you're getting a haircut."

00

Daryl hadn't realized how long his hair had gotten. It took David a good twenty minutes to cut it.

After that, he was treated to a bath. A hot bath. There was nice smelling soap, too.

Then, when he was dry, he was given a real meal. Some type of soup along with vegetables and bread. He managed to get a small bit of it down, with David watching him warily.

Finally, David led him out of the kitchen and towards the Governor's room.

"Why're we going here?" Daryl asked. He didn't really care - he felt relaxed enough not to worry. Plus, if the Governor wanted him to look decent for tomorrow, it wasn't like he was in any real danger. The guy wouldn't be giving him a black eye, for instance.

"He says you need to stay in here until tomorrow."

Daryl took one look at the Governor's bed and understood. There were restraints built into the mattress. He would be lying on his back instead of handcuffed on his stomach. Clearly, the Governor didn't want him to have wrist marks from the handcuffs.

Daryl allowed David to strap him in.

"Do you think you're gonna puke?" The kid asked.

"Don't think so."

David nodded, "Right. If it were up to me I'd believe you but it's not so… Open up."

Daryl looked at him like he had three heads.

"What? Why?"

David simply rolled his eyes and pinched Daryl's cheeks, forcing him to keep his mouth open. The kid placed two pills on his tongue.

"Swallow them."

Daryl shook his head, trying to protest, but the kid wasn't listening. He reached for a bottle of water and began pouring it into Daryl's mouth, forcing the pills down. Then he let go.

"What the fuck, man?!"

"It's just Ambien and Zofran. Anti-nausea medicine. You'll be getting tired soon. The Governor says you should try to sleep as much as you can."

Now, Daryl really understood it all. The Governor didn't want Merle to think that he was being too badly mistreated, otherwise he might get upset.

Well, Daryl thought to himself, a haircut and a day of relaxing wasn't going to undo a whole month of damage. He didn't feel worried at all.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I'm sorta leaving Andrea out of this because I dislike her. I know she was with the Governor by this point.

Ch. 6

Daryl was sitting underneath the shade of a tree, head once again resting on Carol's lap. She was playing with his hair, joking about how it was about time that he'd gotten it cut and telling him how much better he looked, not that he had looked bad before.

Daryl smiled at the comment.

He told Carol how he hadn't been feeling well lately, knowing that she wouldn't think less of him for it. And he was right - once Carol heard about his illness, she quietly began to comfort him, moving her hand down his shoulder and gently rubbing his side, telling him that he was going to be okay.

A warm breeze blew over them, and after a few minutes of silence, the sound of Carl and Beth's voices came about.

The two came running by, Beth holding Rick's baby girl in her arms. The two seemed to be playing some type of 'house' game, where Carl was the dad and Beth was the mom. It seemed a little weird to Daryl, but he was too content to question it.

Carol seemed to think it was cute. He looked up to see her smiling at the children. For a brief second, he wondered if she would ever want another one, maybe with him. Was she even able to have another one? He wasn't entirely sure how old she was. It might be nice, though. To have some little ass-kicker protege to raise. To teach to track, hunt and fight. If he and Carol had a kid together, it would probably be pretty awesome. Now, Daryl was really smiling.

Then he yet heard another voice.

"Daryl?"

It was a male's voice, but he couldn't place it.

"Daryl?" It asked again. "Daryl, wake up."

Daryl opened his eyes to see David standing over him.

"Fuck," he whispered. That was a goddamn awesome dream.

"Sorry to wake you. The Governor wants me to make sure that you eat something before going back to bed."

Daryl sighed.

"'Not hungry." Had the kid really woken him up for this?

"Yeah, okay. Do you need to use the bathroom?"

"No."

"Feel sick at all?"

"No. What's with the twenty questions? You're gonna do whatever it is he tells you to do anyway."

"I suppose you're right. Let's get you up, then."

00

Daryl sat at the kitchen table next to David, who was working very hard at trying to get him to eat some more soup.

In between sips, David tried to make small talk.

"Is Carol your wife?"

Daryl raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected that question.

"No. How do you know about her?" She hadn't come along on the mission to rescue Glenn and Maggie. As far as Daryl knew, the Governor hadn't heard of her. Unless, maybe Merle had said something.

David smirked.

"You kept saying her name when you were sleeping."

"Oh." Daryl felt himself blush.

"You seemed happy. Like, you looked content, if that makes any sense. I guess everyone is content when they're sleeping, but you looked better than usual. Wow, that sounds creepy…" David trailed off.

Daryl laughed.

"It kinda does, yeah. Carol's a nice girl. We're not… ya know… together or nothin' though."

"Ah."

"Yeah." Daryl looked down at the bowl of soup. There was about half of it left. He felt embarrassed that he was already beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Do I have to finish this? Can't you just tell him I did?"

David looked at the remaining food.

"What the hell." He stood up, and dumped the rest of the soup into the sink, then washed it down the drain.

"Thanks."

David shrugged.

"It's no big deal."

After that, David led Daryl to the bathroom then back to the bedroom. After strapping Daryl down, David held out his hand, showing Daryl the two pills that he had.

"You gonna fight me this time?"

"There's no point."

"Good. Open your mouth."

Daryl did as instructed and allowed David to drug him once again. It wasn't so bad going back to dreamland anyway. Not if Carol and Carl and the others were there.

00

The following day, the Governor woke Daryl up early and demanded that he get dressed. He'd had a gun pressed to his head while he tried to put on the clothes that were provided - the same outfit that he'd worn so many weeks prior when he had been captured.

His arms tingled because of the nerve damage from the weeks of being in handcuffs, but he was able to get the clothing on if only because of how loose it was on him. The weeks of near starvation had taken their toll.

The Governor looked him over and shook his head, but let him be. Instead of handcuffs, the Governor wrapped a chain around Daryl's waist, then led him out of the room. They walked into the living room area, where Merle was sitting.

Daryl was stunned by the sight. He hadn't expected to see his brother until much later on.

"Sit down," the Governor ordered. He tied the end of the chain to the radiator.

Daryl looked at the Governor, then at Merle. Seeing the serious looks on both their faces, he quickly complied.

"Daryl, you've got a visitor."

"Merle…" Daryl said, softly. Just seeing his brother made him want to cry.

"Told you he's alright," the Governor said.

Merle looked his brother over, ignoring the pleading glances that Daryl was throwing his way.

"He looks like he's half starved," Merle commented.

The Governor rolled his eyes.

"He's fine. We all have to ration, you know. He's being treated quite nicely, all considering. Isn't he?" The Governor looked at Daryl, expecting a response.

"I… Uh…" Daryl started. He felt a mixture of fear and hope. What he said next could influence what would happen to him - whether he was going to be set free or not.

Before he could complete his answer, Merle spoke up.

"Overall he seems fine. I suppose you were telling the truth."

The Governor smiled, and Daryl felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. Was his brother really that blind?! He looked awful and he knew it! How could his brother not see it?

"I would never lie to one of my best men, Merle."

Merle forced a smile back.

"I shouldn't have doubted you. Now, do you happen ta have anything to drink? It was a long night - killed a bunch of walkers out by the wall."

"Of course." The Governor stood up, "I'll be back in a moment."

This was it, Daryl realized. It was probably the only chance he was going to get to talk to Merle without the Governor nearby. He had to take it! If Merle knew what was really happening, he would surely help!

"Merle," Daryl whispered.

Merle looked at him.

"Please, Merle… He's lyin'. Almost every day he…" Daryl trailed off. He didn't want to say it. Didn't want to tell his brother how he was being violated almost daily, and starved and beaten. He forced himself to only because of how necessary it seemed.

"...He violates me, Merle! And if I don't...If I don't listen then he… He…" Daryl felt the tears coming again, and this time he let them flow. Unable to speak clearly, he held up his hand, showing Merle his broken finger as a means of proof.

"He did that?" Merle asked. He looked somewhat concerned, but otherwise unmoved.

Daryl nodded and sniffed. He wondered if his brother thought less of him for crying . Crying was always a pussy thing to do, according to their old man. Merle had said as much himself as well.

Then again, maybe Merle was upset over having been abandoned on the rooftop.

"Please, Merle, I came lookin' for ya...I swear I did!" Now Daryl was shaking as well as crying. There was only so much that a man could take, and he'd never felt more humiliated or scared in his life.

Merle closed his eyes and frowned.

"Daryl…"

"Please," Daryl repeated.

"Daryl, brother… Ya shouldn't have attacked us! Now, I'm sorry that you're so upset, but ya have to admit that ya were wrong."

"But he's hurting me," Daryl pleaded. The Governor was walking back now, and he only had a few seconds more to spare. "Please…"

Merle sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, brother, but ya… Ya deserve this. Maybe now you'll learn a lesson. Ya shoulda left that group a long time ago, especially after what they did ta me. Did ya think I liked that? Being abandoned?"

"I came back! I really did!"

Merle shook his head again. Right then, the Governor sat back down. He handed a glass of whiskey to Merle and looked Daryl over.

"Everything okay here?"

Merle nodded, "Yes, sir. Everything's okay."

00

Once Daryl started crying, he didn't stop, especially after Merle had abandoned him.

He felt like he had been kicked in the stomach. It was the worst pain that Daryl had ever felt.

The worst part of the evening, in Daryl's view, was the fact that he'd been made to sit there with Merle and the Governor for an entire hour after Merle had verbally punched him. Merle and the Governor got along real well, joking and laughing and not even paying attention while Daryl sat there sobbing. It was like he didn't exist, didn't deserve even a small amount of pity.

Now Daryl was back in the guest room, once again chained up. He had almost wished that the Governor had beaten him for his actions - maybe the pain would've taken his mind off of everything. Instead, the man had chained him up and left them there to wallow in misery.

Daryl continued to cry for hours, being unable to stop. He felt pathetic, angry, sad, hurt and like he wanted to die. What the hell had he done to deserve this?!

That question ran through Daryl's mind until he eventually cried himself to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

The following days were a blur for Daryl. He no longer cared whether or not the Governor punished him. The man could kill him, for all he cared. If anything, Daryl would consider it a blessing. This wasn't life - being tied to a bed for 23 hours a day and raped several times each week. It was torture, and Daryl wanted out.

Most of the time, Daryl slept, and when he was awake, he trudged through his routine wordlessly. He didn't even talk to David anymore.

Just looking at the kid made him feel resentment. Sure, the kid was helping the Governor to protect his own ass, so he was trapped in that sense, but at least he got to go home at night. He got to see his little daughter, and he got to go outside and feel the sun and talk to other people.

Daryl's anger also extended to the others who had left him behind. He wondered where they were. Still at the prison? Maybe it had been overrun, and they'd had to leave. He kinda liked the thought of that - the group running, scared, from a massive group of walkers. The only one he didn't want to suffer was Carol. Everyone else could go die, though.

And then there was Merle.

Daryl didn't feel angry at Merle. He felt hurt. Confused, too. Merle had always been kind of a jerk, but he always came around and helped Daryl out in the end. What had changed now? Why had his brother suddenly given up on him so completely?

On top of that mix of emotions, Daryl also had to deal with something else. Every day, he was still getting sick.

At first he thought that maybe he'd gotten some type of stomach virus, but when the nausea didn't stop after a few days, he began to wonder if he'd been poisoned.

The thing was, he only got sick in the mornings. After that, he tended to be fine. It was almost like clockwork - he would wake up, feel sick, call for help, throw up, then fall back asleep, if he wasn't forced into the shower to clean up. Thankfully, the Governor seemed to expect his calls and he always came running.

00

Two weeks after the incident with Merle, something changed.

Daryl had always felt weak, but this one particular morning, he outright collapsed. The last thing that he remembered was walking to the shower. David was nearby, and was tying his chain to the wall. Then he felt light headed and dizzy, and his vision started to go black. Next thing he knew, he was falling.

00

When Daryl woke up, David was still there. The Governor was there as well. Daryl could hear them talking.

"...out back in the handcuffs and I'll finish this," came the Governor's voice.

"Sir, it might be a good idea to take him to get checked…"

The Governor mentioned something about Daryl being a waste of space, oxygen and food, and Daryl wanted to agree. He was a waste and if the Governor wanted to put him down, then he was fine with that.

David kept protesting, though.

"If they can cure him, you can use him. Use him for chores or whatever. Or sex. And if he's not gonna get better then give him to Milton. He can use him for an experiment."

Daryl wanted to tell them to stop, to tell the Governor to please just end it, but he couldn't even open his eyes, let alone his mouth.

He heard the Governor sigh in annoyance, and then everything once again went black.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

The next time Daryl came to, he found that he was lying on a bed.

Not the Governor's bed, or the one that he was usually tied to. This one felt different. Less soft.

Daryl cracked his eyes open. A middle aged black woman was staring down at him.

"Welcome back," the woman greeted him.

Daryl just stared at her. Where was he?

"He's awake?" Another voice - The Governor's - asked.

Hearing this, Daryl tried to sit up. The effort was too much, though, and he quickly fell back, groaning.

"Stay down," the woman told him, shaking her head. "You'll be in bed for a while. You're lucky to be alive."

"What?" Daryl questioned. He was shocked by how weak his voice sounded.

"Shhh," the doctor said. She briefly grasped his hand in an attempt to comfort him. "It's going to be okay. You and your baby are going to be just fine."

Daryl blinked.

"What?" He asked again.

"I said that you and your baby are going to be fine, so long as we treat your dehydration and malnutrition."

"My baby?" Daryl was sure that he was dreaming. This had to be some weird coma dream or something.

"Yes," the Governor spoke up. "Your baby. Looks like there's a reason for all the times you were ill. Morning sickness, the doctor says."

Daryl's eyes grew wide and a second later, he fell unconscious once again.

00

"Man, you gotta stop doing that!"

It was David's voice, this time. Daryl had just opened his eyes.

Rather than responding, Daryl chose to look around.

He wasn't restrained, but he did have two IVs attached to his arms. He also felt like he'd been hit by a ton of bricks.

"Where am I?" He asked, flinching as he moved and accidently pulled on one of the IV lines.

"We took you down to the infirmary after you passed out the first time. Had Dr. Stevens check you over."

"That's the black lady?"

"From before? Yeah. She said we got you here just in time."

Daryl nodded.

"She said something about a baby, too? Or was that in my head?"

"No, that was real."

"Well?"

"You're having a baby. Well you will have a baby. In seven and a half months."

Daryl snorted.

"Right. Good one, David. What's it - fuck with Daryl day today?"

"I'm not lyin'. Dr. Stevens did a blood test and an ultrasound and everything! Said you're a month and a half along."

"That's not possible. Only women have kids! Fuck." He tried to push himself up again, but had little success. "Little help here?"

David walked over and pulled on a lever on the side of the bed, pushing it into a sitting position.

"Thanks," Daryl muttered.

"You don't have to believe me. You can see the ultrasound pictures if you want. They're not that good… it's a basic machine, she said, but you can see them."

"It's. Not. Possible," Daryl reiterated.

"Yes, it is. Didn't you hear about it on the news? Right before the outbreak?"

"No."

"Well it was on there. A few guys started showing signs of pregnancy. The doctors were thinking it was a genetic mutation, that maybe it was related to the virus somehow. At least, it happened around the same time as people started turning. You really don't remember that?"

"I'm thinkin'. I sorta remember hearing it briefly. Didn't think it was real."

"It was. You're living proof. So am I."

"You mean… Elena?"

"I never said my wife carried her."

"Jesus…" Daryl rested a hand on his stomach. It didn't feel any different. Maybe a little bit harder than usual, but that didn't mean anything, did it? It was still flat and all.

"You knew, then?" Daryl asked. There had to be a reason that David had convinced the Governor to get him help. It wasn't like they were best friends, or anything.

"I had a feeling about it, yes."

Daryl took a deep breath, trying to let it all sink in.

"Fuck. It's his. There's a part of him inside me." Daryl said.

"It is," David agreed. "That part is unfortunate, I suppose."

Daryl glared at him, "All of it's unfortunate."

Daryl shook his head, "Do ya think they can… ya know… get rid of it?"

"Like an abortion? I don't know. It'd probably have to be done surgically. Even if they could, he's never going to let that happen. You should've seen the look on his face when he found out. Happiest I've ever seen him. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a little nicer to you now."

Daryl didn't reply. He closed his eyes, wishing more than anything he would once again pass out.

00

David was right. The Governor did seem to be in a very happy mood the next time he came around. The doctor followed him into the room as well.

"Glad to see you're awake, Daryl," the Governor said. He was practically grinning, and it made Daryl angry.

"Yeah. Wish I wasn't."

"Aw, now don't be like that. This is a new beginning for both of us! Not to mention the life you've got inside you."

The man rested his hand on Daryl's stomach. That was when the hunter lost it. He shoved the Governor back, pulling out one of his IVs in the process. He didn't care, though.

Dr. Stevens came racing over and pushed him back down. She mumbled something along the lines of 'calm down!', but Daryl ignored her.

The Governor didn't even seem phased.

"Fuck you," Daryl spat. "You'll never get this kid. If I have to kill myself to make sure of it, I will."

To Daryl's chagrin, the Governor just laughed.

"Ah, now I know how it is. Mood swings and all. Tara used to get those too when she was carrying Penny. Don't you worry at all." The Governor looked at the doctor, and the two exchanged knowing glances. "Doctor, it may be a good idea to ensure that Daryl doesn't try to get up. He might pull on his lines or try to walk and fall and injure the baby."

The doctor nodded and held out her hand. The Governor passed her a set of handcuffs, and she locked Daryl's wrist to the bed.

Daryl had to smile, now. He really thought that things couldn't get any worse, and yet, here he was.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

Daryl was kept in the infirmary for a week.

At first, it was a nightmare. Besides having the doctor buzzing around him on an hourly basis, the Governor was spending every single free moment there as well.

He wasn't being nasty or cruel or anything like that. That's what made it even weirder. He was being nice. Overly nice. He talked to Daryl about family life, and told him about how he hoped their child would grow up to be strong and smart. It would have to, to survive in the world as it was.

Daryl got the idea that if the man wasn't a complete psycho, he might've been a good parent. Hell, he probably was a fairly good parent to Penny, when she had been alive and all.

Still, there was no way that Daryl was going to let him take their child. He'd kill it, and himself, before he let that happen.

Every day, Daryl carefully watched for any options that might present themselves. A scalpel being left out, for instance. Or even just something sharp that might be within reach.

Sadly, for him at least, the doctor was extremely cautious. She cleaned everything up all the time.

As time ticked on, Daryl started to wonder if it was possible to kill himself some other way. He had been very weak before - could he starve himself to death? It might be an option. The doctor might not have the means to hook up a feeding tube. She seemed to barely have anything decent as far as medical supplies went.

Just as Daryl was thinking about that, the doctor came in. She was followed by a young woman who was pushing a cart. There was a machine on it that Daryl didn't recognize.

"What's goin' on?" He asked, eyeing them warily.

"We're going to do another ultrasound, just to make sure the baby is still alright. You'll get to see it, too."

Daryl started to protest, but both the doctor and the Governor would hear none of it. The Governor gave him the option to have the ultrasound while he was awake or unconscious - either way, it was going to happen, so Daryl shut up. He justified this mentally by telling himself that it would be good to see the proof of his pregnancy for himself.

Seeing Daryl calm, the doctor spoke up.

"Very good, Mr. Dixon. Now, I'm going to apply some gel to your abdomen. It's going to be cold. Then I'm going to use this wand to see the baby. You'll see a picture there," she pointed to a small screen on the machine. "You'll have to excuse the age of it, it was the best we could get."

Daryl wouldn't have known a new ultrasound machine from an old one, so he just shrugged.

The young girl forced a smile at him before moving to lift up his shirt. He'd been dressed in a spare set of scrubs a few days prior as there were no hospital gowns available.

Once this was done, the doctor applied the gel. Then she began to use the wand.

Daryl's eyes focused on the screen. For several seconds, things were very blurry. He couldn't make anything out. Then, the doctor seemed to find something. She began moving the wand in a very particular place.

"Here we go," she said, looking at Daryl then at the screen.

Daryl raised an eyebrow.

"It looks like a blob," he noted, but he felt unable to take his eyes off it.

It was real. This whole thing was real.

"It will look more recognizable in a few months. For now, at least, it seems like it's doing alright."

"...Good," Daryl mumbled.

A weird feeling had come over him. It was a mixture of fear, anger and… happiness.

He was going to have a kid. A real kid. Even if it had half of the Governor's genetics, it was still his too. It was someone to raise. Someone to teach to fight the good fight.

Daryl couldn't help but smile. He decided right then and there, that yes, he was still going to make sure that the Governor wasn't going to raise their child, but he wasn't going to hurt himself or the baby to get there. He would have to figure out something else.

00

At the end of the week, Daryl was released from the infirmary.

The Governor led him back up to their home. He was still being overly nice, holding doors and even supporting Daryl if the man seemed to sway from weakness in any way.

Of course, Daryl was still handcuffed. He wondered if he would be sent back to the bedroom, or what would happen now.

The Governor seemed to be on the same mental wavelength as him, because he soon began to discuss this.

"Now, Daryl, as you know, this baby… Well, it changes things."

"Obviously," Daryl replied.

The Governor smiled, and David walked out of the master bedroom. The kid had a chain in his hands.

"You'll no longer be confined to the bedroom. You will now have access to the entire house."

The kid came closer with the chain and wrapped it around Daryl's neck. He then placed two locks on it. The other end of the chain was locked to a bar that had been installed near the front entrance.

"The chain will give you enough movement to walk around freely. It stretches to about fifty feet. If you try to leave, that is as far as you will get - fifty feet."

"You've collared me up like a dog," Daryl said, stating the obvious.

He was mad about it. This was almost as demeaning as being handcuffed to the bed.

"Unfortunately you've yet to earn my trust. Maybe in time the chain will be removed. For now, though, there are some rules."

Daryl stared at him.

"The main rule is that you do as I say. As I have raised a child before, I know better than you what should be done to help the baby. If I tell you to eat, you're going to eat. If I give you vitamins, you're going to take them. If I tell you that we're going to see Dr. Stevens, then I expect you to comply and come along willingly."

So, things weren't that different than from before. Daryl would just have more room to move and food and such.

"Are we clear?" The Governor asked.

"Crystal," Daryl answered.

He could already feel his heart rate starting to speed up. He wanted nothing more than to deck his captor in the face, but he knew doing so would be pointless. David would probably take him down, and then he would face punishment yet again.

He reminded himself that he still had time. At some point during the next seven and a half months, he could probably find a way to escape.

That's what Daryl told himself, at least.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

"Come on. You've got to eat it."

Daryl was seated at the kitchen table, and David was standing over him. There was a plate with two slices of toast with peanut butter on it, along with a cut up apple.

It wasn't that the food looked unappetizing, it was just that Daryl had felt sick all morning. Seeing and smelling the food just made him feel worse.

"I don't feel well," he murmured, not daring to look David in the eye.

For the past few days, Daryl had felt ill almost constantly. If it wasn't the morning sickness, it was because of the Governor and David forcing him to eat. He had subsisted on so little for so long that eating normal amounts made his stomach hurt. Neither the Governor nor David, especially the former, seemed to care much for that excuse though.

David sighed.

"I know, it sucks. I felt the same when I was carrying Elena. But you have to worry about the baby now, and the baby needs food."

Daryl's shoulders slumped. He wasn't going to win this argument.

Slowly, he picked up one of the pieces of toast and brought it to his mouth. He tried not to breathe through his nose, since the smell of it was what set him off most. It was a combination of luck and sheer willpower that let him get down the entire slice.

"Good job," David said, smiling. "If you can eat the rest I'll leave you alone until lunch. And I'll bring you the second Ender's Game book."

Daryl glanced up at him, then back down at the rest of the food. There wasn't much to do, what with the limited electricity and all. There was a battery powered CD player that Daryl sometimes used, but mainly, he read books. The Governor had a lot of them. Most recently, he had been reading the Ender's Game series. Reading helped get his mind off of the hell he was currently living in.

"Yeah, okay," Daryl agreed.

He picked at the apple for several minutes, slowly eating it. He took small sips of water in between, hoping it might calm his stomach somehow.

Finally, there was only one piece of toast left. Daryl figured that he may as well get it over with. He took one bite, then another, and then one more. Then he dropped what remained. His stomach really hurt. He felt a combination of nauseous and overfull. Instinctively, he lifted a hand and rested it on his stomach. It was still flat, though Daryl could tell that he was gaining weight. His ribs didn't stick out as far as they had before, nor did his hip bones.

"I want to lie down," he told David, looking at him pitifully. The kid sometimes gave in when he looked especially pathetic.

"Oh, alright," David conceded. He picked up the plate. "You have to try to eat the rest with your lunch, though."

"Yeah."

After clearing the table, David held out a hand to help Daryl up. Daryl could get up under his own power, but he allowed the kid to assist him.

The two walked over towards the couch, where Daryl spent most of his time. David threw a couple of throw pillows towards the side that Daryl liked to rest his head on.

"I'll get your book."

Daryl nodded and sat down. He tried to get into a comfortable position. Lying on his back was the only thing that he felt would work. Trying to rest on his stomach or side would definitely be too much. He would surely get sick.

He was just getting settled when David walked back in.

"Here you go," he said, handing over the book.

Daryl smiled at him.

"Thanks."

"Mhm. No problem."

00

It took a while, but eventually Daryl felt better. He didn't even get sick, either. A few minutes after Daryl came to the realization that he was okay, David announced that it was lunch time. Of course.

Daryl walked over to the table. David had laid out two salads - one for each of them. The rest of the toast from that morning was near Daryl's plate as well, but overall it seemed like the kid was taking pity on him. A salad was much easier to get down then a sandwich.

David sat down first and Daryl sat across from him.

"Try to at least finish that," David said. "You need to get your strength up."

Daryl snorted.

"For the kid's sake?"

"For the baby's sake and your own."

Daryl didn't reply. He wasn't allowed to leave the house - all he needed was enough strength to function. If he could function, the baby would be okay.

The two ate silently for a few minutes before David spoke up again.

"So your group… the ones at the prison. Wanna tell me about them?"

Daryl stopped eating and looked at him.

"Why?"

He had been trying his best not to think about them. Their actions - or inaction, really - still hurt him.

"I'm just curious is all. I don't think we ever talked much about them and I doubt that what the Governor says is true."

Daryl sighed.

"I don't know what to think anymore. Anyway, what do you want to know?"

"Hmm. Start with their names?"

"Well, Rick was the leader. Rick Grimes. He used to be a sheriff. You know, back before everything went down. He has a kid named Carl and a wife named Lori."

"Were you friends with them?"

Daryl shrugged.

"We got along well enough."

David nodded. "Go on."

"Hershel was there. He was an older guy. Real nice, let us stay at his farm a while back. He had two kids, Beth and Maggie. You know about Maggie. And of course, Glenn."

"I remember them. Carol was part of that group, too?"

"She was." Daryl said, softly. He still missed Carol.

"You sure you weren't with her? You look so sad when you mention her."

"We weren't together."

"Not even, ya know, fucking her? You can tell me man."

David reminded Daryl of one of his friends from years ago. They'd grown up together, and the guy was always trying to get info on who banged who and where and how.

"Nah. Not fucking her."

"Damn. That sucks. She wasn't interested?"

"I think she was. She seemed like she was."

"Oh. Why, then?"

"Because…" Daryl trailed off.

"Because what? Sorry, there's not much news around here so it's nice to hear about something different."

Daryl stared at him. He could feel his cheeks turning red. He debated lying, but ultimately decided to tell the truth.

"I wasn't sure I was ready. I hadn't done it before."

Having said that, Daryl found that he suddenly couldn't maintain eye contact with David.

David's jaw dropped.

"Really? So you're like… A forty year old virgin?"

Daryl continued to stare down at the table.

"I don't mean that, like, to be rude. I'm just surprised. There was a movie about that, you know. A forty year old virgin. But he got laid at the end."

Again, no response.

"Oh, fuck. I just realized… The Governor…. He was your first, wasn't he."

It was a statement more than a question.

"He was," Daryl whispered.

"I'm really sorry," David said, sincerely. "I didn't realize. I knew it was bad, but I thought at least you'd had experience prior. This just makes it a thousand times worse."

Daryl nodded. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He decided to ask David some questions, if only to get the spotlight off himself.

"What about you? Did you have lots of girlfriends? Before your wife, I mean?"

"Yeah. I had a few. A couple serious ones, mostly just hook ups."

"Where'd you meet her?"

"Maria? That's my wife's name… Was her name," David corrected himself. "I met her at a bowling alley."

"Really?" Daryl was surprised. That seemed like a weird place to meet someone.

"Yeah," David said, smiling. "Starlight Lanes. Me and my friends went for one of those cosmic bowling night things. You ever done that? Where everything glows in the dark?"

"No…"

"Oh. Well, anyway, the bowling places have that sometimes. Maria and her friends were at the lane next to ours, and every time she would bend over to roll the ball, I got the best view of her ass. It was perfect. Big, but perfect. Heart shaped."

Both David and Daryl chuckled.

"Nice. So you went for her?"

"I tried to talk to her but she wouldn't have any of it. Said she wasn't looking for a fling or nothing like that."

"Is that what you wanted her for?"

"At first, yes. But when she turned me down, it sorta became a challenge to get her."

"So what'd you do?"

"I got my friend to get her number from her friend. Then I called her. Texted her. I asked her out every day for two weeks and she kept saying no."

"Wow."

"See, no one ever said no to me! That's why it made me crazy! She just kept turning me down, thinking nothing of it. Then finally, after two weeks, I called and said that I wasn't going to ask her again - that this was the last time. And then she said yes."

"Christ. Women are nuts…"

"They really are. We went out to the movies, saw that Battle for Los Angeles movie, then we had dinner. She was older than me - twenty five, I was eighteen. I moved in with her a month later and we were together all the time after that."

Though David was smiling, thinking about his wife, Daryl could tell that he also felt sad. There was a pain that was visible in the kid's eyes.

"I'm sorry she's gone," Daryl said. "It seems like you loved her."

David's smile faded.

"I did. Still do. But at least I have Elena. She reminds me of Maria a lot. Same smile."

"Yeah."

There was another silence before David forced himself to perk back up.

"Okay. Enough talking. You need to finish your food or he's gonna chew me out."

Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I'll try."

He picked up his fork and began eating again, trying to ignore the slight pain in his stomach. He used his free hand to rub it, trying to make himself feel better.

David caught sight of this and frowned.

"Don't worry, man. We'll figure something out. I promise."

Daryl nodded, wondering to himself what the kid meant.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N:

- I'm sure someone is going to be upset by David drugging his daughter. Keep in mind that his options are having her wake up and freak out and draw attention or to keep her asleep. Also, there would be huge consequences if David got found out somehow. Not exactly your every day situation.

- Secondly, I left out Tyrese's group and plan to leave them out of this story.

-Thirdly, there will be more information about Merle in the chapter after this, I'm not forgetting him.

-Finally, in my story, the Governor never went after Rick's group.

Ch. 11

God must have been smiling down on him. At least, that's what David hoped was happening. Everything had come together much faster than he had anticipated.

It was dark outside, but David didn't dare turn on the lights. It would draw attention to them. So he paced back and forth inside the small house that he and Elena lived in, carefully walking the same path to avoid tripping.

He would have to leave soon. Very soon. And he still hadn't figured out what to do with Elena yet.

He held the pill he had in his hand up to his face, squinting to see it. It was a Benedryl that he'd swiped from the infirmary, and it was one of his two options.

David planned to go to the prison where Daryl's group had been staying. He intended to talk to them, figure out why they'd yet to come back for their friend. He also wanted to secure a place for himself and Elena. Woodbury looked nice, but he didn't want his daughter growing up there, in a town run by a monster like the Governor. Maybe she could have a better life elsewhere.

Frowning, David got down on his knees, and took a piece of paper and a lighter out of his pocket. He flicked the lighter on, making sure to keep the light low so it wasn't visible through the windows.

The paper that Merle had given him listed the location of one of the vehicles that the Governor had brought back from a recent outing. Merle had assured him that it had enough gas to get him to the prison and back to town.

Now, the question was whether to bring Elena along.

David's biggest fear, besides Elena somehow being attacked, was that she would make noise and draw attention to them. To avoid that, he'd stolen the Benadryl. It would likely keep her asleep for most, if not all of the evening. By keeping her asleep, it lessened the chances that she would somehow attract attention to the house and thus attract attention to David's absence.

The thought of drugging his child didn't sit well with him though.

He flicked off the lighter and walked towards the bedroom. Elena lay on her bed, curled up under the blankets. Her cats Bella and Mew lay near her, sleeping by her side.

David closed his eyes.

"Maria… Give me guidance," he whispered.

Realistically, he knew what he had to do. Elena stood a much better chance of being safe if he left her behind and he himself stood a much better chance if he left her home.

He walked into the kitchen, felt around for a bowl and a spoon, and began to crush the pill. When it was reduced to powder, he mixed it in with a half of a glass of water and brought it back to the bedroom. Then he sat on the edge of Elena's bed.

"Sweetie", he said, rubbing his daughter's back.

Elena tried to bat him away. She loved her sleep, just like her mother had.

"Baby, you need to wake up for daddy," David tried.

The kid opened one eye, then sat up.

"Daddy needs your help, baby."

Now, the girl seemed interested.

"Whas wrong?"

"Daddy needs to go run an errand, and I need you to help me by being real quiet. As quiet as you can be. Do you understand?"

"Quiet," the girl repeated. "Okay."

"I will be back tomorrow morning. Whatever you do, do not make any noise when you wake up. Don't cry. I know that's hard, baby, but it's really important. If I'm not back by the time you have to feed Mew and Bella, you need to go see Mrs. Andrews next door. She'll help you." He and the older woman - their neighbor - had struck up a friendship. She often watched Elena while David worked with Daryl. The woman didn't know about his plans - no one besides Merle did - but he trusted her to take care of Elena if something were to go wrong.

The girl started to look worried.

"No, daddy. Stay," she begged. "Please?"

The look on Elena's face broke David's heart, but he had to go. He had to help Daryl, and he had to get the three of them out of there as fast as possible.

"I have to go, baby. I'll be back though. Now, you need to drink this, okay? It's going to make you tired. When you wake up, if you wake up before I come back, you need to stay quiet, like I told you. Can you do that?"

The girl pouted, but shook her head 'yes'.

"Good girl. I know I can count on you."

David held the glass up to Elena's lips and helped her drink it. Thankfully, she didn't seem to notice the additive. When she was finished, the girl laid back down. David rubbed her back for a few minutes, trying to help her sleep.

Just as she was about to drift off, David spoke one more time.

'Baby, I promise that I'll be back… but if you need to see Mrs. Andrews, give her this note." David put a folded piece of paper on the night stand. It explained how David had left Woodbury and asked that Mrs. Andrews take care of Elena in his absence. David made sure not to let on to where he was going in it.

"You give it to her and tell her it's from me."

"Okay, daddy," the girl agreed.

"I love you, baby girl. I'll see you soon." David kissed her on the forehead.

"Love you too, daddy," the girl replied.

00

David had heard talk of a group of walkers near the far end of town about an hour earlier. Now, several wall guards seemed to be running in that direction.

David carefully slipped out the back of the house, carrying only a small pack with a couple bottles of water and his gun. From where he was, he had a decent view of the closest wall. The one guard that was left seemed to be focusing more on the left side of it then the right. The right side was closest to David.

This was it. This was his chance.

Taking a deep breath, David made a run for it. When he reached the wall, he began to climb. It wasn't that high and it didn't take him that long. Still, he held his breath nearly the entire time, praying that the guard wouldn't hear him.

And somehow, against all odds, he didn't. David managed to clear it and run off into the surrounding area, hiding amongst the remnants of buildings and broken down cars.

00

The car that Merle had told David about was exactly where he said it would be - about a half a mile from the outskirts of Woodbury, hidden from sight behind an old factory. David ran the whole way there.

From the corner of his eye he could see some walkers around the edges of the building. He sprinted past them, making it to the car with a few seconds to spare.

"Keys…" he said to himself, looking around. Merle had said that the keys were hidden on top of one of the wheels. Which one?

The walkers were coming closer and David forced himself not to panic. He reached on top of the wheel on the driver's side.

Nothing.

"Fuck," he said, louder this time.

He tried the rear driver's side wheel. Within seconds, he had found what he was looking for. Just in time, too.

David unlocked the car, got in, and sped off, hitting one of the walkers on the way.

00

There was a certain feeling of freedom that came with driving.

It was something that David hadn't done in a while. Not since he'd come to Woodbury.

The roads were clear for the most part, thankfully, and David was able to concentrate on finding his way. It wasn't too long until he found his destination.

Unfamiliar with the layout, he pulled the car up to the gates as closely as possible. He put the car in park and looked around.

Someone was nearby. They had a flashlight and were shining it at him. David put his hands up. The last thing he needed was to have come this far just to be shot.

The person shining the light - a young woman - looked him over. She must not have seen him as a threat, because she quickly moved to open the gates before motioning for him to pull up inside.

The young woman locked the gate back up. Meanwhile, another person had come outside. This one looked to be little more than a child, and he held a gun.

"Who's that?" the boy asked, keeping his gun fixed on David.

"I don't know," the girl replied. "He just pulled up."

The boy looked at David again.

"Get out of the car."

David nodded and opened the door, keeping one hand raised the whole time.

"I came from Woodbury. I'm a friend of Daryl's," David started to explain. "I came here because he needs help. So does me and my daughter."

"Hold up. First things first, I'm Beth," the woman said, reaching out to shake David's hand. It was then that David realized that she was relatively close to his age.

"David. It's nice to meet you."

She smiled at him, "And that's Carl."

Carl didn't move, keeping his gun up the entire time.

"Were you bit at all?" Carl asked.

"No."

Carl didn't look like he believed him, so David tried again.

"You can see for yourself. Here," He used one hand to pull up his shirt. "There's nothing."

Carl stared at him, still looking serious, but lowered his gun.

"You said you know where Daryl is?"

"I do. And he needs help," David repeated.

Carl looked at Beth, the back at David.

"I guess you'd better come inside."

00

The boy led David into the prison and through a maze of stairways and corridors. Beth stay behind outside. As they walked, it occurred to David that Carl was Rick's son. He remembered Daryl mentioning that.

After walking for a few minutes, they came upon the doors to a cell block.

Carl hesitated for a minute before opening them.

"Do you know anything about us?"

"Just your names… basic information," David answered. "He said that your father is your group's leader?"

Carl suddenly looked even more serious, if it were at all possible.

"Was our leader. Alright, let's go on in."

00

Carl opened the door to reveal a line of cells. A few had people in them, and a few people were standing outside of them as well. Those standing outside looked like they had just woken up but seemed to be on guard. Carl tried to assuage their fears.

"It's alright, guys. This is David. He says he knows Daryl."

One of the women - a thin lady with very short, gray hair, instantly perked up.

"You know Daryl?!" She asked, hopefully.

"I do," David replied.

"Is he okay? Oh - I'm Carol," she said, coming closer.

"Oh. Daryl's talked about you," David answered.

"He did? How is he? Is he okay?" She asked again.

"Calm down," another voice - an adult males - called out. "Let's all introduce ourselves and then talk calmly." He turned to David.

David noticed that the man was on crutches, so he took a few steps closer to shake his hand.

"I'm Hershel," the man said.

"Glenn," A young, Asian man said. He was standing near a cell and holding a baby.

"You were at Woodbury, right?" David asked.

"Yeah. Maggie and I were."

"I remember hearing about you."

Glenn nodded, "Yeah...I'm sure the Governor wouldn't forget us."

David then caught sight of an athletic looking black woman. He recognized her, having seen her around Woodbury previously.

"Michonne, isn't it?"

The woman merely nodded.

"I believe you met my daughter Beth outside," Hershel added.

"Yeah. I did."

There was a short silence. David wondered where Rick and Maggie were. The way that Carl had spoken about Rick earlier made David wonder if perhaps the man was dead.

Then, he heard a sound.

"No…." A man cried, "No… Lori…"

David raised an eyebrow, and Hershel sighed.

"That would be Rick."

David stared at Hershel, wanting more of an explanation. Hershel frowned.

"Yeah, okay. Let me show you."

The old man slowly made his way down the hall, David following closely behind.

"If you were talking to Daryl, he probably told you about Rick."

"He did."

"Did he tell you that Rick was married? Carl's his son, too," Hershel said, once they were out of the other's earshot.

"I remember Daryl saying something about that."

"Well, that baby that Glenn had, that's Rick's daughter. Lori gave birth to her a few weeks ago…Didn't make it."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that. I know how tough it is," David said, sincerely.

"Carl ended up having to put her down, and Rick took the whole thing harder than we thought he would." They stopped at a particular cell, "Here we go."

David looked inside.

A tall, thin man was inside, standing next to a wall and reaching out into thin air.

"Lori, please…" he whispered.

The sound of desperation in Rick's voice made David cringe.

"Obviously, Lori isn't really there," Hershel said softly, "But he thinks she is."

"He's lost his mind," David concluded. "That's…. terribly sad, to say the least."

"It is. Rick's a good man. We didn't expect this."

Another round of begging caught their attention. This time, Hershel moved closer to the cell.

Rick looked over at him.

"Hershel?"

"Hi, Rick."

Rick moved closer, pressing his face against the bars.

"Hershel… I need help."

Hershel nodded, "I know. Finding Lori, right, son?"

Rick nodded 'yes'.

"She's here… but she keeps going… Why? It must be my fault." He turned back towards the empty cell, "I'm sorry, Lori…"

Rick went on with his one-sided conversation, and Hershel took a step back.

"Is he always like that?" David asked, stunned at the sight before him.

"Not always. Sometimes he's totally normal. Most of the time, though, he thinks he sees her. We keep him here when he has his episodes… the last time he was out, he wandered through the gates, almost got himself killed."

"That poor man. Carl, too. Poor Carl," David whispered. Then he remembered that there was one other person missing. "What about Maggie?"

Now, Hershel looked truly sad.

"She's alive, but whatever happened in Woodbury...Well, it shook her up. She's been off ever since. Real depressed, doesn't like to do much more than sleep. I'm worried about her, but, you see, she won't talk to me. Or Glenn, either."

Everything suddenly clicked in David's mind.

"You guys stayed here because you couldn't leave."

"Exactly. Rick and Daryl were the strongest among us. Maggie's not helping, either. I can't exactly force her to. And with my leg…I suppose that we're just lucky that the Governor didn't retaliate. It's pretty much Michonne, Glenn and Carl that have been carrying us along."

"He was going too, but he's been distracted by his new toy."

Hershel didn't want to ask, but he knew that he had to.

"You mean Daryl?"

"Yeah. It… It's bad."

"How bad?"

"He's…" David tried to search for the right words, "You remember before the infection, there were reports about men getting pregnant?"

"I recall hearing something about it, why? Wait -" Hershel's eyes got wide, "You mean -"

"Yeah."

Hershel nearly dropped one of his crutches.

"Daryl?! Of all people…"

"He was surprised, too."

"Good Lord. Whose is it?"

"The Governor's. He's holding Daryl there, has him chained up like a dog. He was handcuffed to the bed for weeks, starved, beaten and raped. He's not well. I was hoping that you, or someone from your group, could help me go back."

Hershel closed his eyes.

David took this as a prelude to a refusal, so he tried again.

"I know it's dangerous, but I can try to get us in. All we have to do is get back, slip in… Merle will cause a distraction, and we can get Daryl in and out. The Governor's let his guard down, so I think we can do it."

Hershel considered this.

"I agree that we should send a team back. We'll have to discuss it with the others, though."

"One more thing. I'll help you get Daryl back, but I want in. With your group. Me and my daughter."

Hershel looked at David sympathetically.

"I understand. You, being young and strong… you could make up for Daryl or Rick, until Daryl's back on his feet, and I'm sure the women could help with your daughter."

"I sense a 'but' coming?"

"But, we have to talk it over, like I said. Let's go see what everyone else thinks."


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

"No. Absolutely not."

Michonne had been the first to speak up.

"But he's one of our own -" Hershel began to protest, but Michonne cut him off.

"It would put everyone and everything we have at risk! We were lucky that the Governor didn't retaliate! We should not push our luck!"

Hershel frowned and turned towards the rest of the group.

"What about everyone else? What do you think?"

Everyone was present except Rick and Carl. The latter was keeping watch and Rick was still in his cell.

"I think we should do it," Beth said, softly.

"I do too," Carol agreed.

Glenn and Maggie exchanged looks. Then Glenn spoke up.

"I don't like the idea of going back, but I think we're obligated. I'll go."

Everyone turned to Maggie.

Her shoulders slumped.

"I'm in if you need me," she said, voice barely above a whisper.

Hershel had to fight back the urge to smile. He was proud of his daughter for being so resilient - willing to go back for Daryl despite her pain. Instead, he turned back to Michonne.

"It looks like you've been outvoted."

Michonne glared at all of them.

"You're asking for death. Is this what you really want? After all you've done?" She looked at Judith, who was sleeping in Beth's arms. "And what about her? Do you want her to die?"

"I think if we go elsewhere… As long as we don't wait here, we might be alright," Carol replied. "He'll look for us here."

"Where are we going to go? Between myself and your group, we've covered almost everywhere nearby," Michonne countered.

"Actually," David said, "I think I know a place you can go."

The group turned their attention to him.

"You have cars, right? Maybe a van, or something?"

"There's a prison van we can use," Hershel answered.

"Good. That'll help. About sixty miles from here, there's a college. A satellite branch of a community college. If you have a map, I can show you. Anyway, Maria - my wife - went there. It was a nursing college, so there's a lot of medical supplies there. You'll need them, trust me. Daryl will at least. Besides that, it's got an underground parking lot. You could park there and go up and stay out of sight. Pack up the van with your stuff and go. The place is four stories high - you'll be able to see anyone coming."

"What do you mean, Daryl will need them?" Carol asked, nervously. "What's wrong with him?"

David sighed and looked at Hershel, who thankfully spoke.

"Daryl is alright. He will be alright. He's just going to need some help after all of this is all. Now, if I'm right, we're running out of time here," he tried to change the subject. Telling the group about Daryl's condition would just make them fight more among themselves. "David, do you have any idea if the place was overrun?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, though. It's sorta remote, the last time we went past it, it was empty. But that was over a year ago. I doubt he would look there, though. He'll expect us to come back here, or to come to somewhere near here. The college is out West. Odd location."

"Suppose we do agree to this," Glenn said, "How are we going to do it?"

"I would suggest that we leave some people here to pack the van and cars and head to the campus. Meanwhile, I'll take the stronger ones with me. Merle is waiting back there. We show up before dawn and fire two shots when we're close. That's the signal. When he hears it, he's gonna create a distraction. We'll have a better chance of getting inside then."

"And?"

"And then we split. Michonne, Glenn, you can find your way to the Governor's house. I need to get my daughter, then I can meet you. Either at his house or the wall or the car. I can tell you where to find him."

"And Merle?" Glenn asked.

"Merle is going to make sure that his distraction definitely gets the Governor's attention. Makes him come out."

"That's… That's like a suicide mission," Carol noted.

David nodded, "Merle knows."

"He's actually okay with that?" Glenn truly sounded surprised.

David frowned.

"Merle loves his brother. He may be a scumbag - I'll be the first to admit that - but he loves Daryl, and he doesn't want to see him suffer."

"So it's settled, then?" Hershel asked.

"Yeah," Glenn agreed. He looked at the group, "You, Carol, Beth, Carl and Maggie… you stay here and prep. Get the van loaded up. Food, blankets, guns, ammo, all of that. Then you get Rick in too. David, you said you can give them directions?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Carol, get the map. Once that's settled, we'll head out."

00

It wasn't long before David, Glenn and Michonne were coming up on Woodbury. They could see the lights in the distance. As they approached, David said a silent prayer.

The clock in the car read 3:14 am. A good time, David thought. Elena had been born at 3:15.

David parked the car about half a block away from the wall nearest his house. The three got out of the car.

"Michonne, do you remember where to go?" David asked.

The woman nodded, still wearing an angry scowl.

"You'll need these." David reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of three keys on a single key chain. He handed them to Michonne.

She raised an eyebrow.

"You'll see when you get there. The best way to get in is the back entrance. The biggest key is for that lock. You go upstairs, through the living room, and he'll likely be in the bedroom on the left. You get him out. Help him walk if you need to. He might be weak. You get him back to the car. I'll meet you here in twenty minutes after we leave. Does that seem like enough time?"

"It'll have to be," Glenn responded.

"If I'm not here by then, leave. Take him and go."

Both Glenn and Michonne agreed to this.

Then, David took out his gun. He took a deep breath and fired two shots into the air.

00

About a minute after the shots were fired, there was shouting. This was shortly followed by gunfire, and then, an explosion.

No one had really expected that last part, but they assumed that it was part of Merle's distraction and began running towards the wall. They reached it seconds after the last guard deserted, having run off in the direction of the explosion.

The three climbed over the wall together, then separated. David headed to his house while the others went to find Daryl.

00

Glenn and Michonne got a first hand look at what Merle had done. One of the store fronts was engulfed in flames. People were running out of their homes, trying to figure out what was going on. The guards, meanwhile, seemed to be busy trying to take Merle down. He seemed to be holding his own thus far, but they doubted that he would escape.

Oddly, Glenn felt kind of bad about that. Their current mission took his mind off of it briefly though.

As predicted, the Governor was drawn out of his home. They could see him making his way towards the flames. No one noticed as they slipped around the back of his home and unlocked the door.

The two entered quietly, unsure if anyone else was in the building. Hadn't he had an assistant that he'd been sleeping with? Anyone could be there besides Daryl.

They arrived at the second floor, expecting to have to search for Daryl. However, they were surprised. Instead of being in some bedroom, he was standing, the living room, staring out a window.

"Daryl?" Glenn asked.

The hunter was startled. He quickly turned to face them.

"Glenn?!"

"Yeah. Hey. You remember Michonne?"

Daryl's jaw dropped. He was too stunned to answer. He watched as Michonne removed they keys from her pocket.

Michonne stayed calm. So did Glenn. From what they could see, Daryl looked okay. A little thinner than he was previously, but he was wearing clean clothing. The only thing that seemed off was the chain around his neck. Of course, it was dark. Maybe in the daylight they'd notice something else.

The two methodically worked to free Daryl from his chains, unlocking the padlocks.

Daryl just stood there the whole time, seemingly unsure of what to do.

When the chains were finally discarded, Michonne spoke.

"We need to go, now. Can you walk?"

"I… Uh…" Daryl replied. He really hadn't expected this.

"Yes or no?" Glenn asked, annoyed.

Daryl knew that he was still weak. As much as it embarrassed him, he felt that he really had no choice but to be honest.

"I need some help," he admitted.

Glenn nodded and wrapped an arm around Daryl, helping to support him. Michonne led them out.

"We're goin' back to the prison, right?" Daryl asked, as Glenn helped him down the stairs.

"You'll be safe," Glenn answered. "Just, stay quiet. We'll talk when we're out of here."

They came outside to see the fire still burning, but now, Merle was subdued.

Both Glenn and Michonne hoped that Daryl wouldn't notice it, but he did.

Michonne rolled her eyes as she saw him open his mouth to call out. Swiftly, she covered it with her hand.

Then Daryl began to protest, trying to pull away.

Michonne and Glenn were stronger though. Between the two of them, they managed to pull him across the street while keeping him quiet.

The Governor was starting off on some speech, trying to calm everyone down. He seemed to think that Merle's act had been in retribution for what had happened to Daryl. An ulterior motive had yet to cross his mind.

But Glenn and Michonne knew it would soon. As soon as the Governor noticed that Daryl was missing.

As they moved, Daryl continued to fight. It took most of their energy to keep him in place. Ultimately, Michonne took off her headband and used it as a makeshift gag as soon as they were off the streets. It freed up one of her hands.

Soon, the car was near. David was there, too, along with Elena.

Upon seeing the car, Daryl began to fight harder. No matter how much Merle had hurt him, he didn't want to leave his brother behind!

That was when Michonne made a decision.

"Hold him still," she said to Glenn.

Glenn did this as best he could, while Michonne used her katana - still sheathed - to hit Daryl on the head. She must have hit him with a good amount of force, because he went down almost immediately, allowing them to get him into the car.

Glenn sat on one side of him, Michonne on the other. Elena sat up front.

David started the car, and they took off towards the college.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

There were some walkers at the college, but dispatching them wasn't the hard part.

The hard part was getting Rick inside.

He had seemed calm enough when they'd packed up, and he had sat quietly on the drive over, but once they arrived, he began to freak out once again. It had taken Maggie and Carol to drag him in, and they were only able to do it after Carl had handcuffed him.

Both women felt bad about that. Carl had been through so much as it was, to have to handcuff his own father while the man ranted and raved about people who were long dead seemed exceptionally cruel. The boy seemed calm, though. He went about it as if it were business as always.

Once inside, the group quickly found a place for Rick - a small classroom that was set up like a hospital room. The handcuffs were used to bind him to the bed. It would work for the present, at least. Would keep him safe while they unloaded their supplies.

They finally finished just as the sun was starting to rise. Carol even managed to set up a room for Daryl's arrival. It was another classroom-hospital type place, but it had a decent looking bed. She found some spare blankets and pillows and made it up, wanting to make sure that Daryl would be comfortable.

Now, all they had to do was wait. No one dared to sleep.

00

Glenn, Michonne, David, Elena and Daryl pulled into the college parking lot about an hour after sunrise. Everyone was pleased to note that there seemed to be no walkers - apparently the group had taken care of them previously.

David parked the car in the large parking garage, ensuring that it was hidden from view in case the Governor passed by. Then he looked into the backseat. Daryl was still unconscious. The young man began wondering if any permanent brain damage had been done, when the hunter cracked open his eyes.

"Where the fuck are we?"

"Somewhere safe," David assured him.

Daryl shook his head and groaned. The back of his skull was throbbing.

"Who was it that hit me?"

David glanced at Michonne, but didn't say her name. Daryl got the message though.

"Seriously? What the fuck?"

"It had to be done," she replied.

"We can discuss this later. We need to get inside," Glenn said.

Everyone opened their respective doors and stepped out, except for Daryl. Still dealing with the combination of pain and exhaustion, he rested his head on the back of the seat and closed his eyes once again.

00

"They're back!" Carl called out.

He had been standing near one of the windows in Rick's room, and had seen the car pull into the garage. Beth stood nearby, holding Judith.

"Lori?" Rick asked, hopefully.

Carl's shoulders slumped.

"No, dad. Glenn and Daryl and Michonne are back."

Rick stared at him for a second before mumbling something under his breath. The only thing that Carl and Beth could make out was '...kick that fucker Shane's ass.' Both of them shrugged it off. They had more important things to deal with right then. Once the rest of the group was settled, they'd see if there was anything available at the college to help Rick. Anti-psychotic medication, or something. It had functioned as an urgent care clinic as well, after all. Probably had a pharmacy somewhere.

Carol, Maggie, Carl, Beth and Hershel all came outside. Michonne and David were supporting Daryl, pulling him along, Elena following closely behind. Carol quickly moved to help them inside.

Once there, Beth spoke up.

"We set up a room for him down the hall. Figured he might be kinda tired. We'll move him upstairs when he's feeling better, but for now, it should be okay."

"Great," David said. "Show us?"

Now that Carol was helping Michonne with Daryl, David took hold of Elena's hand. The girl was very well behaved, all considering.

"Of course."

Maggie led the group down the hall.

00

Shortly after walking into the room, Michonne and Carol deposited Daryl on the bed. Michonne seemed content leaving him there, but Carol wouldn't have it. She fussed around, trying to pull blankets over him to keep him comfortable.

The others gathered in the corner, going over everything.

"Why's he unconscious?" Maggie asked, glancing at the man. Carol was trying to place an extra pillow behind his head.

"Had to knock him out. Wouldn't calm down," Michonne answered.

"Merle sacrificed himself," David explained. "He had it all planned. He knew what was going to happen. He caused a distraction, gave us enough time to get Daryl out. Daryl didn't want to leave him behind, but… There would've been nothing that he could have done, anyway."

Maggie frowned.

"They were pretty close. Really close, actually."

David sighed.

"There's so much to fill you all in on. There's more to it than that - Daryl… Daryl really thought that Merle had betrayed him."

"Hmm."

Everyone turned to Hershel.

"We do need to know what happened with Merle, but for now, it might be best if we check Daryl over. Check his injuries, see what supplies we might be able to get to help. There's one thing, though."

Everyone continued to stare.

"If what David is saying is true, maybe we ought to tie him down. Like with Rick. For his own good, of course."

"That seems like torture… after all he's been through," Beth said, softly.

David shook his head.

"Hershel is right. Daryl's going to try to escape as soon as he can. He won't leave Merle there. We ought to keep him secure until we can convince him that there's no point going back, for lack of a better way to put it."

Maggie frowned, but looked at Carl.

"Got an extra set of cuffs?"

"Yeah," the kid replied. "I'll go get 'em."

00

Despite everyone's lack of rest, the group managed to work together quite well.

Hershel acted as leader, giving everyone specific orders to follow.

Beth, for instance, was sent to sit with Judith and Elena. Carl was guarding his father's room, standing nearby in case the man needed anything.

David and Maggie were sent to search the hospital for a number of items that Hershel felt he needed, while Michonne and Glenn guarded the entrance to the hall.

Carol, meanwhile, sat by Daryl's side, doing her best to keep him calm as Hershel cleaned him up and looked him over. He cataloged Daryl's injuries mentally.

He seemed to be fairly emaciated, for one, though he showed small signs of quick weight gain. It looked as if he had been starved for weeks then forced to eat for a few days. There were little stretch marks on his skin.

Besides that, the chains that had held him in place had left marks. His wrists were scarred, and a sliver of skin around his neck was chaffed. Hershel guessed that a chain or collar had rested there.

The worst of it wasn't Daryl's physical injuries, though. It was the terribly sad look in the man's eyes. When told of Merle's actions, the hunter had become absolutely devastated, blaming himself for it. He couldn't hold back from crying.

Hershel had looked away, but Carol, of course, did her best to comfort him. She remained next to him, wiping away his tears and holding his hand and hugging him as best she could.

00

David and Maggie came back into the room about half an hour after they set off on their mission, bringing a box of medical supplies with them.

"Got several bags of saline. Should be okay to use," David said, pulling a few out of the box. "IV lines, found a stethoscope, sterile gloves, rubbing alcohol, a few needles…" he went on.

"Great. Those will all be helpful."

"There's some medicine as well. Tylenol, some anti-nausea medicine… Found some stuff that might help Rick, too."

Hershel turned his attention back to Daryl, who had finally started to calm down.

"Have you been getting sick a lot? Vomiting?"

Daryl nodded 'yes'.

"It happens pretty often," David said, knowing that Daryl wasn't in any mood to talk. "Almost daily."

"I see. Well, we'll do our best to make sure that he's comfortable," Hershel replied. "Make sure that he's got enough to eat and he's rested."

"I can hear you, you know," Daryl said, glaring at the older man. "I'm not fucking deaf."

"Since you didn't want to answer my question, I figured you didn't feel like talking."

"Can you fucking blame me? My fucking brother's dead, because of me, and I'm chained to the fucking bed - again -", he pulled on his arm, which was handcuffed to the railing, to emphasize his point. "And to top it off, I'm not only a genetic freak, but I'm carrying -" Daryl stopped himself, just in time. He didn't want to tell Carol, or anyone else about the baby just yet. He was sure that Hershel knew, David must have told him, but the secret was probably safe from the rest for the present time.

"...How the fuck would you feel?", Daryl finished, tone softer now.

Hershel frowned.

"I know it's hard for you, Daryl. I cannot imagine how much pain you must be in," Hershel replied, sincerely.

Tears once again started pouring from Daryl's eyes, but he didn't say anything else.

"Maybe it would be best if you guys go see if there's a kitchen here. Most colleges have cafeterias, maybe there's some stuff that can be used," Hershel instructed, quietly.

Maggie and David both nodded and left the room.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

It turned out that Hershel was correct. There was a cafeteria, and there was some non-perishable food left in it. Mainly canned goods, sacks of flour, sugar, baking supplies. There were even bags of coffee and tins of tea bags. David remembered Maria saying something about the cafeteria food being contracted out; it looked like most of those businesses cooked on premises.

The topping on the cake was the generator that Glenn had come across. Everyone had to admit that they'd really scored with finding this place. At the very least, they could power one of the electric stoves and some lights at night.

Maggie and Glenn set about making lunch, trying to pull something together using the ingredients that they had. David went off to check on Elena.

He found his little girl sitting on a bed while Beth braided her hair. The baby was asleep in a drawer that had been pulled out and lined with pillow cases.

"Daddy!", she squealed, seeing David enter the room.

Beth glanced up at him and smiled.

"Beth's braiding my hair! Like mommy used to!" The little girl explained.

David smiled at his daughter.

"You look beautiful," he told her, giving her a kiss on the forehead.

Then he turned to Beth.

"Thank you for this. For watching her," he said. Now that there was light, he got a better look at the girl. She was quite pretty and seemed to be pretty close to his own age.

"It's no problem," Beth replied, "I'm just finishing up. Welcome to the group, by the way. We're an odd bunch but we get along pretty well."

"I'm grateful to be here. You're Maggie's sister, right?"

David knew the answer, but wanted to make conversation.

"Yeah, I am. Hershel's my father."

"How do you know everyone else?"

"Well," she started, "It's kind of a long story."

David took a seat on the bed while Beth finished Elena's braid. The little girl crawled over to her father and sat on his lap.

"I've got time," David answered.

00

Elsewhere in the hospital, Hershel had left Daryl to check on Rick. He took along some of the medicine that David and Maggie had found. A few bottles of Xanex and Zoloft, and, miraculously, some Clozapine. If he could convince Rick to take it, it could definitely help.

Thankfully, Hershel caught him during one of his more lucid moments. Seeing the older man enter, Carl stepped away. It would be great if Hershel could help his father somehow, but he tried not to hold out any hope.

"Rick," the older man greeted him. "How are you?"

Rick shrugged.

"I gotta piss."

"Alright. How are you feeling besides that, though?"

Rick knew what Hershel was getting at. He was aware of what had been happening - of the psychotic breaks that he'd been having. He rarely remembered them, but the fact that he was handcuffed to a bed told him that he'd had another.

"Right now, fine. Normal. But I guess...I'm sorry about this morning. For whatever I did, Hershel. I really am."

Rick seemed sincere. Hershel nodded in understanding.

"It's not your fault, son. How about I unlock the handcuffs and let you use the bathroom, then we can talk. That sound fair?"

Rick nodded hesitantly, nervous about what the older man might want to discuss. He was a burden on the group and he knew it. He wondered if they would tell him to leave - make him and Carl move on out. He tried not to show it but a knot of worry was forming in his stomach.

Hershel motioned for Carl to come over and took the key from the boy, then unlocked Rick's cuffs. He helped the man out of bed, and, once assured that Rick could walk alright on his own, let him go.

While Rick was gone, Hershel turned to the boy.

"If you want, Glenn and Maggie made some lunch. Not sure what it is, but you're probably hungry… you can go down and get some. I'll make sure your dad is taken care of."

Carl stared at him for a moment, mentally deciding what to do. He always felt wary of letting his father out of his sight, but Hershel was capable, and his dad seemed to be pretty okay, at least right then. Plus, the thought of food made his stomach growl. He hadn't eaten in over a day.

"Yeah, okay," Carl agreed. "But you yell if he does anything!"

"I will," Hershel promised. "You can come back when you're done."

"Alright," Carl said, walking out.

00

Rick had been surprisingly fine with the idea of taking the drugs. He had talked it over with Hershel and it was clear that he felt desperate.

"I know it's not real… But I can't control it," he explained. "I don't know what to do. I've dragged you all down, making you care for me, lock me up."

"The drugs might help. There's no guarantee, but it's worth a shot. David found a few bottles… the issue will be finding a continuing supply. But there should be enough for a couple of months here, at least."

Hershel held up one of the bottles.

"You've got to take it twice a day. Build up gradually. That means, for the next few days at least, you'll have to remain confined, until it kicks in. There might be some side effects, too, so if you start feeling sick or anything feels different, you've got to tell one of us."

"Fair enough," Rick agreed.

Hershel stood up and looked around the room. He opened a few cabinets before finding what he wanted - a stack of paper cups. He filled one with water and handed it, along with a pill, to Rick.

The ex-cop gratefully took it and swallowed it down, along with the water.

"Good. Now is there anything else you need? I know this isn't much fun, but with Daryl how he is, and the threat of the Governor… it's best if you stay here."

"Something to read, if there's anything," Rick requested. It was boring as hell in the room, with nothing to do besides stare at the walls.

"Sure thing. I'll ask one of the others to see if they can find something. Can't guarantee it'll have a good plot, but I'll try," he joked, dryly.

"Thanks."

Hershel was about to walk out when he heard Rick's voice once again.

"Hershel?"

The older man turned to face him again.

"Is Daryl… Is he gonna be okay?" Rick only knew the basics of the situation - that Daryl had been tortured for several weeks. No one besides Hershel and David knew about the pregnancy.

Hershel sighed.

"I hope so, Rick. I really do."

00

Daryl seemed to be finished crying, at least for now. Carol had stayed with him the entire time, wiping away his tears, holding his hand.

Now, he was tired. Carol could tell by how he kept closing his eyes then slowly opening them again, like he was trying to force himself to stay awake.

"It's okay," Carol whispered, gently running a hand through Daryl's hair. "You can go to sleep."

Daryl shook his head 'no'. He felt terrible, going to sleep in a nice bed while his brother was probably dead, probably tortured and mutilated by that piece of shit Blake, all because of him. Because he had been captured. He'd spent so many weeks being angry at Merle, too. Fuck! He felt guilty and sick.

Nausea began to come over him as he considered it all, and he began to feel extremely cold.

Thankfully, Carol noticed how pale he had become. She ran off, quickly finding a basin, and held it in front of Daryl's mouth, getting it there just in time for Daryl to vomit. She held his hand as he was sick, noticing that he was squeezing back tightly.

Daryl puked up a small amount before starting to dry heave. It was several minutes before Carol felt safe pushing the basin away.

She looked Daryl over again. He was breathing heavily, tears forming at the corners of his eyes, snot under his nose. She took a paper towel and wiped it away. Daryl didn't even seem to notice.

"God… make it stop," he whispered, swallowing heavily. "Please…"

"Daryl, you're safe here. I promise, you are. No one's going to hurt you. We won't allow it."

Daryl laid back, still feeling freezing despite the fact that the room was warm. Carol pulled his blanket up further, tucking him in.

She stroked his hair until his breathing started to even out, watching as he closed his eyes.

"Please… tell Hershel to make sure it's safe. If something happens to me, don't let Blake get it," Daryl said, softly, eyes still closed.

"Get what?" Carol asked. "What are you talking about?"

There was no response. Daryl was finally asleep. Carol made a mental note to talk to Hershel later on.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15

"I can't tell you," Hershel said, as he and Carol walked down the hall.

It was dark and they were navigating using a flashlight. Everyone had decided to buddy-up and take rooms. They would also take turns guarding the hospital entrance.

For now, Michonne was on guard.

Hershel had chosen a room with Beth and Judith. Glenn stayed with Maggie, and Michonne with Carl and Rick. David and Elena were off in their own room as well. Of course, Carol wanted to be the one to stay with Daryl. She had to find out what they were dealing with first, though.

Carol sighed loudly.

"I know something's wrong. The way he's acting… the things he said. I just want to help him, Hershel. You understand, don't you?"

"If you want to help him try to get him to eat. He's refused food all day. Seems to have been too upset. If you can't get him to eat then David said he can, but I think he might prefer you."

"Alright," Carol agreed. "Is there anything left in the cafeteria?"

"Glenn said there's cans of soup, of all things. And a bunch of rice and tea."

Carol nodded.

"Okay, then. I'll go see what I can do."

"Thanks," Hershel told her. "But if it doesn't work out, let me know."

00

Carol showed up at Daryl's room carrying a tray with a bowl of rice and a cup of tea. There had been a surprisingly large selection of beverages to choose from. She chose Chamomile, thinking maybe it would calm him.

"Daryl?" She called out.

There was the sound of sheets rustling.

"Yeah," he answered, softly. "What do ya want?"

"I bought you something to eat and some tea."

"Don't want it."

Carol stepped closer to the bed. Daryl was lying there, staring up at the ceiling. She put the tray down, closed the door, then sat down on a nearby chair.

"I don't know what's wrong with you… what was done to you, but I know it was bad," Carol started, "But you're safe now. We'll keep you safe. Glenn, Carl, Maggie… now we've got David here, too! Everything's going to be fine."

Daryl said nothing, but Carol noticed that he was resting his hand on his stomach.

"Does your stomach hurt?" She asked. He had to be hungry by now. He hadn't eaten all day, and lord knows when he'd had a meal prior to arriving.

Daryl shook his head.

Carol wasn't sure what else to say. She wanted to help him, to make his pain go away. She would've been more than willing to take some of it on herself if she could have.

Eventually, Daryl broke the silence.

"Carol… what was your first time like?"

"My first time?" She questioned. "What do you mean?"

"Your first time… ya know. Being intimate."

"...Oh." She hadn't expected that question, but she trusted Daryl enough to answer it.

"Well, it wasn't particularly glamorous. We were up at one of those scenic overlooks, in Jimmy's old Challenger. We started kissing and he put his hand up my skirt… one thing led to another, and… you know…" she trailed off, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Why?"

"Did you love him?" Daryl avoided her question.

"Well...I thought I did. I was young, though. You know how it is."

"But you liked him, at least." It wasn't a question, more of a statement.

"Yes. Of course I did. Why are you asking?"

"What'd it feel like? To make love, I mean. Not just to fuck. Is it different?"

Now Carol was really confused.

"Daryl, are you sure you're okay?" She reached out to touch his forehead, checking for a fever, but he seemed cool to the touch. "Why are you asking me all of this?"

Daryl closed his eyes and shook his head, not verbally responding.

Then it hit Carol. Obviously, Daryl had been assaulted somehow. Sexually, most likely. The thought of it made her feel dually sick and enraged. How dare that piece of shit lay a hand on her friend?! And to put him in a position where he was forced to submit - she couldn't think of anything more awful, especially for someone like Daryl, who was so tough and independent.

"Carol?" Daryl called out. He noticed that she was breathing heavier, probably thinking about something disturbing.

"Daryl." She replied. "Daryl, so help me god, I'll fucking gut him if he ever steps foot here."

Daryl nodded, and closed his eyes again. Carol noticed that he had taken hold of her hand and was holding it tightly.

00

David had been unable to sleep, so he joined Michonne on watch after putting Elena to bed.

"Michonne," he greeted her, walking over with a baseball bat in hand. He'd found it in the back of the car and decided that it would make a good enough weapon.

The woman didn't bother to acknowledge him. Instead, she continued to pace back and forth, listening, watching for any signs of the Governor or walkers.

After several moments of silence, David spoke again.

"You're pissed," he stated. "About all of this."

Michonne turned to him, looking at him angrily.

"You've put us all in danger."

"I had to get Daryl out!"

"And you put us all at risk! It'll be a miracle if Blake doesn't track us down here, and when he does, then what? What do we do? We'd be out manned and out-gunned! I hope you're happy!"

"What was I supposed to do?" David was shouting now. "Leave Daryl there to die? Leave him to be a slave for the rest of his life? For his child to be a slave? Does that seem fair to you?! Had one of the others been left behind, you could bet your ass he would've turned back for them. You owed him the same."

Michonne looked angry for a split second, but then her expression changed.

"Wait. His child? What do you mean?"

"Fuck," David mumbled. He shouldn't have said that. He'd gotten caught up in the heat of the moment, and had let Daryl's secret out.

"Nothing," he tried to cover. "I didn't mean to say that."

Michonne moved closer to him, pulling out her sword. She held it up to David's neck.

"Tell me the truth."

"Fuck," David said, again. "Alright, fine. Daryl.. He's pregnant. One of those mpregs, the guys with the genetic variation. It was on the news before the outbreak."

Michonne pulled her sword back.

"I remember that."

"Yeah, well, I don't think he wants many people to know about it."

"It'd be hard to hide in a few months. Blake's the father, then?"

"Yeah."

Hearing this, Michonne once again sheathed her katana.

"What, now you don't care that we took him?"

"Him being with child changes things," she answered. "It was still a bad move - we're still fucked, but I understand it better."

David nodded, "Well you ought to keep it to yourself."

Michonne rolled her eyes and went back to pacing.

00

Down the hall, Carl had woken up to find his father in a terrible state. His entire body was shaking, as if he were having a seizure.

"Dad?" Carl asked, doing his best to hold his father's arms. "Dad, what's wrong?!"

Rick didn't - probably couldn't - answer and Carl began to panic. Michonne was gone, so he ran to the closest room possible - Beth's room. She, Hershel and Judith all seemed to be asleep.

"Hershel! Beth! Dad needs help!", Carl called out.

His voice was loud enough to wake the two as well as Judith, who began to cry.

"What happened?" Hershel asked, sitting up. Beth was already standing.

"He's shaking, doesn't seem like he can stop!"

The kid seemed truly frantic, so Hershel and Beth quickly followed him back.

When they arrived, Rick was trembling. It wasn't nearly as violent as it had been previously, but it was still cause for alarm.

"Rick?" Hershel asked, aiming a flashlight at him. "Rick, are you awake?"

The man's eyes were open, but Hershel wasn't sure if he was all there or not.

Rick made a groaning sound as his arms and legs continued to twitch.

"Lllll.." he slurred, eyes totally unfocused.

"Rick, it's alright," Hershel said, trying to calm him. He shined the light in Rick's eyes while Beth and Carl did their best to hold his hands, trying to relax him.

"...Lori," Rick mumbled. "W-why?"

Hershel tried not to show his disappointment. Rather, he focused on Ricks' overall physical condition. He noticed that the man was sweating, and that he had apparently wet the hospital bed.

"Get some water," Hershel instructed.

While Beth ran off to do this, Hershel looked at Carl.

"I'm sorry that you have to help with this son, but it looks like he's having a reaction to the medicine. Do you think you can help me clean him up? My leg isn't exactly conducive to carrying him around…"

Carl, who had at first looked upset, now looked disturbingly calm.

"Yes. It's no problem. There's a shower in the bathroom… It'll be cold, but we can clean him. Maybe Beth can get some new sheets and blankets."

Hershel nodded, then another thought crossed his mind.

"Might be a good idea to see if David's around, actually. He had experience caring for Daryl, he might be better suited to this type of task."

"I don't mind," Carl replied.

It was clear that Hershel preferred David, though. Carl knew that the others were worried about him, worried that he had seen and dealt with too much. It would be easier just to let the old man have this.

"Nevermind. I'll go find him."

"Thank you, son. It's for the best."

00

Beth gave Rick some water. Thankfully, he was able to drink it, and it helped to calm him further. It wasn't long before Carl returned, too, with David it tow.

"Hershel," David said, catching the old man's attention. "Carl says there's a problem?"

"There is. I thought perhaps you'd be of help to me. Rick here seems to have had a reaction to the medicine. It's not that uncommon, but we need to get him cleaned up. Do you think you can help me get him to the shower?"

David glanced at Rick, who was curled on his side, seemingly oblivious to everything going on around him. He kept mumbling something that sounded like 'I'm sorry' over and over again and was staring at the wall.

"Yeah. Shouldn't be too big a problem. Is he going to fight me?"

"I'm not sure." Hershel looked down at Rick, and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Rick, son, do you feel up to a shower?"

Rick gazed up at him.

"Shower?"

His hands were still shaking.

"Yes. You seem to have had a bit of an accident - would be best to get you cleaned up."

"Accident," Rick repeated. He looked down at the bed, only now noticing the wet spot. "Oh."

"It's alright, it's just from the medicine, hopefully it'll stop in a few days. David can help you clean up though, and Beth will make up a new bed for you."

Rick nodded in agreement, then looked at David. For a split second, it seemed like he was lucid once again.

But, then he spoke.

"Yes. Please," he answered. "Lori wouldn't like that. This, I mean. She'll be upset."

David sighed. Maybe for now it would just be better to play into the man's fantasies, at least until the meds started working.

"Let's go get you cleaned up for Lori then," the young man said, holding out his hand. "You gonna stay with me?"

"Mhmm," Rick responded.

He calmly allowed Carl to unlock his restraints and gratefully accepted David's help standing.

"There we go," David said, wrapping an arm around Rick's waist. The man was so thin - it reminded him a lot of Daryl, when The Governor had been starving him. "Let's go."

With that, David led him off to the bathroom for a cold shower. Beth began to clean up, while Hershel quietly worried about how everything was going to play out.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

Carol woke up to the feeling of someone shaking her shoulder.

"Carol! Wake up, dammit!"

Carol cracked her eyes open. She had fallen asleep next to Daryl's bed, holding his hand. Hearing the urgency in his voice, she quickly forced herself up.

"What's wrong?!"

Daryl looked pretty bad. Pale, with bags under his eyes. She doubted that he had slept much that evening.

"I'm gonna be sick," he got out, before using his free hand to cover his mouth.

Carol jumped up and frantically looked around the room, trying to find something for her friend to use. After a few seconds, she located a basin. She turned to give to Daryl only to find that she was too late.

The woman sighed, feeling guilty. She should've been able to help him faster.

She looked him over once again, noting that he didn't dare to meet her eyes.

"It's okay," she said, softly.

On the bright side, he'd managed to lean over the side of the bed. Most of the vomit was on the floor, only a little bit on Daryl himself.

When Daryl didn't respond Carol left the room, intent on finding some cleaning products and something else for Daryl to wear. Maybe she could even get him a shower.

As she walked down the hallway she ran into David. He looked almost as tired as Daryl.

"Hey," she greeted him.

"Hi Carol."

"Everything okay?"

David sighed.

"Just a long night with Rick and Hershel. Rick's having some bad reactions to the medicine. He's sleeping now, thankfully. Was just going to go check on Daryl then get some breakfast for myself and Elena."

"He was sick this morning. I was going to try to find something to clean up with." Then, a light bulb went off in Carol's mind. "You, uh… You must be familiar with this. With whatever is wrong with him, right?"

"I took care of him for quite a while, yes," David answered. "I can clean him up, if that'd make your morning easier."

Really, he wouldn't have blamed her for wanting some help with Daryl. The man could be a handful at times.

"I think I can handle it. But I was wondering if you had any tips?" Better not to ask the question of what was wrong with Daryl directly. She could possibly figure it out if she got enough clues.

"Tips? Oh. Hmm," David thought for a moment. "I tried not to acknowledge if he made a mess too much. It'll make him upset."

"Makes sense. So this will happen more often, then?"

David looked at her, trying to gauge her true intentions.

"It usually happens in the mornings. Sometimes in the early afternoons. Don't try to make him eat too much, it makes him feel sick. He was starved for a long time, he has to work up to eating regular sized meals. The Governor tried to force it on him."

"Okay," Carol agreed, unsure of what to make of that information.

"If he gives you trouble come get me," David said. "It's no problem."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." Carol decided to drop the subject for now. "If you want, we can go help him together. You can show me what to do."

"Yeah, sure. Let's go."

00

Daryl didn't show any emotion when he saw David and Carol enter the room. At least, that's what most people would have assumed.

To David's trained eye, he could tell that the man was upset. Probably a mixture of embarrassment, discomfort and annoyance.

"How ya feelin'?" David asked.

"Shitty," Daryl mumbled. Then he looked up, "Any chance I can get a shower?"

"I don't think that'll be a problem. Here," the younger man bent down to unlock the handcuffs holding Daryl to the bed. "Who do you want to go with you?"

Daryl glared at him.

"I can shower by myself!"

"And I'm saying you can't. So it's your choice - I can take you, Carol can take you, or I can handcuff you back to the bed and let you sit here like this. What's your preference?"

Now Daryl seemed truly angry.

"I could fucking kill you if I wanted to," he growled, forcing himself up.

David didn't seem to be intimidated. He quickly and easily pushed Daryl back onto the bed.

"You could try, but you wouldn't be able to. You're too weak."

"If I'm so weak then why'd ya handcuff me to the bed?"

"Because you'd try to run to get to your brother, but you'd inevitably tire out and we'd have to drag your ass back inside, hopefully before any walkers got to you. It'd probably make you more sick, too."

Daryl did not like this response.

"I totally could get out if I wanted."

"Yeah, out the front door, but not much further. Listen," David leaned over the hunter, pushing him back further. "I'm not here to fight with you. Now, who do you want to help you to the shower? Me or Carol?"

Daryl shrank back a little, realizing that David was right. He was weak. Even if he wanted to get back to Merle, he probably wouldn't have been able to. Oh, god. Merle. Now he wanted to cry.

"Fuckin' hormones," Daryl said, under his breath.

"Didn't hear you," David replied.

"I said you can help me. Please," Daryl added. The thought of Carol seeing him naked, as beaten and disgusting and awful as he looked made him want to be sick again. He didn't want to subject her to that. She'd never speak to him again, most likely. At least David was used to the sight.

"That's fine," David said, helping him up. He glanced over at Carol, who took that as her cue to start cleaning. She wanted to have everything ready for when Daryl came back.

She frowned as she pulled on the set of rubber gloves that she found. Cleaning up Daryl's puke wasn't a task that she relished, but she told herself that he would do the same for her.

Maybe.

Okay, probably not, but she pretended that he would.

00

The shower water was cold and Daryl began to shiver as soon as he stepped in. Worried about him falling, David urged him to hold on to one of the railings that had been installed.

Daryl quickly moved to the railing and clung onto it.

Noticing that Daryl was barely moving, David began to remove his shirt. Apparently Daryl would need some help getting clean.

He left his boxers on and walked in, doing his best to ignore the sting of the cold water.

"We'll do this fast," David told him. He held up a small bottle of what looked like shampoo. "Found a bunch of these earlier. Here," he poured some into his hands and moved closer to Daryl.

"Close your eyes."

Daryl did as he was told and allowed David to quickly wash his hair.

When his hair was done, David handed him a bar of soap. Though the small amount of vomit on Daryl's body had long since washed off, David felt like it was a good idea to clean the man up thoroughly.

"Go on," David said, watching as Daryl held the soap in one hand.

The older man paused for a moment, staring down at his own feet.

"Daryl?" David asked, coming closer yet again.

Then David saw it. It wasn't just water that was running down Daryl's cheeks. Tears were, too.

Daryl dropped the soap and moved his hand to his stomach. It was still pretty flat, but both men knew that it wouldn't be that way for long.

David turned the water off, got out, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around Daryl, doing his best to dry the man off. For his part, Daryl didn't move. He allowed David to touch him, dry him, try to warm him up. The tears had stopped but he still had a sad look in his eyes.

"Thinking about Merle?" David finally asked.

Daryl's shoulders slumped.

"Thinking about everything."

00

By the time David was able to get Daryl dressed and back in bed, it was mid-morning. Elena was probably starving by now, he was sure.

Quick as he could, he made his way down to the cafeteria area where Glenn and Maggie had left food and brought a bowl of oatmeal upstairs. There had been bags and bags of it, and thankfully, Elena liked it.

He walked into the room where she slept and found that she was up, sitting with Beth.

"Hey baby," David addressed his daughter. She was busy braiding Beth's hair this time.

"Daddy!" she said, happily.

David noticed that there were two empty bowls on one of the countertops.

"I got her breakfast earlier. Hope that's okay," Beth explained.

"Oh, yeah. Thank you. I, uh, had a lot to deal with this morning."

"I figured. She came to our room earlier. If you want, I'll just watch her if you're busy and nothing else is going on."

"That would be… extremely helpful, actually," he replied. "Thank you."

Beth was wearing a pair of worn jeans and a pink hospital scrub shirt. Elena had done an awful job braiding Beth's hair, but even so, David had to admit that he found her attractive. She had a pretty face, nice eyes and a gentle nature.

Beth must have noticed him staring, because she began to blush.

"Ah, I found some scrubs… they were clean so I figured I'd wear them while washing the other stuff…"

David smiled.

"Pink's actually a nice color on you."

Beth's cheeks turned even redder.

"Thank you."

David nodded, then yawned.

"Sorry. I was up most of the night."

"Rick?" Beth asked.

"Yeah. He had some reactions to the meds your dad gave him. Then Daryl had some issues too. I'm just beat is all."

"Why don't you sleep?" Beth suggested. "I mean, Glenn and Maggie are guarding now. I can take Elena to me and dad's room. I found an old nursery waiting room, could grab some books. Me and Lena can make a day of it!" She looked at the little girl.

"Do you want to do that?" David asked.

Elena grinned, "Yeah! Beth's fun!"

"Great. Okay. Wake me if there are any problems at all, though," David said.

"Of course."

Just as Beth and Elena were about to leave, David called out for the young woman once again. Beth turned around to face him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Just wanted to say thanks. For everything."

"You're welcome, for everything," Beth replied, before heading out.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! They make me happy :)

Also, Eric and Jake are other OCs threw in just because I needed them. They're not huge characters.

Ch. 17

"Jesus fucking Christ! There's more of them!"

Rick awoke to the sound of Carl's voice.

His boy was standing near the window, gun aimed at some walkers below.

Maggie stood nearby, gun also in hand, doing her best to pick off the walkers that Michonne, Glenn and David couldn't fight off on the ground.

BANG!

The sound of Maggie's gun went off in Rick's ear.

"Fuckin' hell, why didn't you wake me?" He asked, standing up. He reached for the pair of jeans that he'd left lying on a nearby chair.

Despite the medicine's bad physical side effects, it had definitely helped Rick mentally.

It was now three weeks out from when they'd first arrived, and he could honestly say that he hadn't had an hallucination in half that time.

Still, the medicine made him weak and shaky at times. His blood pressure would sometimes drop, leaving him basically useless. The only positive, besides the mental clarity, was that the medicine had helped Rick put on some much-needed weight. He'd been so thin when they'd arrived, now he looked almost the way he used to.

The group generally tried to shield him from action, though. If he were to pass out during a showdown, it would cause more harm than any good he might be able to do.

"Just relax, dad," Carl said, tone even. "We got this."

"Like hell you do," Rick growled. He grabbed a gun after buttoning up his pants and took aim out the window, knocking off one of the walkers near Michonne.

"Good shot," Maggie said, under her breath.

Rick didn't acknowledge her. Rather, he focused on picking off any walker who got too close to his group.

00

Down the hall, Daryl was unaware of the situation at hand.

He was having a mental crisis and was too absorbed in it to think about anything else.

A week prior David had relented and unlocked the handcuffs that tied him to the bed. So, that morning, Daryl had woken up to find Carol by his side, as always.

She was still asleep, so he quietly got out of bed and made his way to the shower.

Cold showers sucked, but they beat the feeling of being filthy with sweat. It wasn't like the college had air conditioning, after all.

As he stripped out of the scrubs which had become his daily garments, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

"Shit," he mumbled, inspecting himself closer.

He had a belly. Granted, it wasn't big. He looked like maybe he'd eaten a really big meal, or something to that extent, but it was definitely there and definitely noticeable.

Daryl turned to the side to examine himself. His stomach was curved, sticking out just a small bit over his boxer shorts. He frowned and rested a hand flat against it.

The problem was, that he hadn't told anyone besides Hershel and David about his pregnancy yet.

Mainly, he was afraid. Afraid that the rest of the group would reject him; see him as weak and force him out to fend for himself. Which he could've done, under normal circumstances, but now, with this kid in his belly…

Surely the others expected him to pick up arms and fight and hunt again as soon as he was able. They had to expect that. What else was he good for, anyway?

Daryl's thoughts then turned to Carol.

He had to admit that he was slowly falling for her.

She had been so devoted to him - sleeping near him, waiting on him hand and food, making sure that he had everything he could possibly need to be comfortable. The woman had even cleaned up his puke, for god's sake! More than once, too, not that Daryl was keen on admitting that.

She was going to be horrified when she found out. Disgusted, too. She would never want to speak to him again - would definitely not want to be with a freak like himself.

And yet, despite the fear he felt, Daryl also felt happy. The bump was proof that his baby was in there, alive and growing.

He'd been doing his best lately to eat regularly, and to take the vitamins that Hershel provided. He'd been resting appropriately, too.

Sighing, he stepped into the shower. He would change back into the scrubs when he got out - could probably hide himself for at least another month in those. That'd be enough time to figure out a way to tell everyone the truth, he hoped.

00

The group had just finished killing all of the walkers by the time Daryl stepped out of the bathroom. Carol was waiting for him, with breakfast, as usual.

"Good morning," she greeted him.

He noticed that she looked sweaty. Odd.

"Everything alright?" He asked, sitting down on the bed. He took the bowl of oatmeal from her hands.

"Group of walkers out in the lot. I helped David and Glenn out a bit, handing over ammo and such."

Daryl frowned. The further his feelings developed for Carol, the more he hated the thought of her fighting off the walkers.

Daryl took a bite of his oatmeal. A pair of voices in the hallway caught his attention.

"Everything was okay?"

It was David's voice.

"Yeah, she was fine. She's a trooper."

Beth's voice.

"I really appreciate your help."

"Oh, it's no problem. I don't mind. I'm glad to help."

Daryl had to smile. There was definitely something going on between David and Beth. Daryl was sure of it. Not that it was a bad thing. David deserved to have a nice girl in his life, and Beth seemed to truly care for him and Elena.

As he finished his breakfast, Daryl's thoughts turned back to Merle. God, he still felt awful about that. His brother had literally given up his life for him. And he'd been so angry at the man before! He doubted that he could ever forgive himself for that. He only prayed that Merle, wherever he was, knew how sorry he was.

"I'll take that," Carol said, holding out her hands for the empty bowl.

Daryl handed it over.

"Would you like some more?"

"Er. Yeah, sure." Now that he thought about it, he was still fairly hungry. "If it's not a problem. I don't want to take from the others."

"There's more than enough. Besides," Carol said, smiling, "It's good that you're eating. You look good with a little belly." She poked him in the stomach playfully, before standing up.

She was out the door quickly, thankfully missing the look of horror on Daryl's face. Maybe a month was too much to ask for. He might have to tell the others now.

00

Miles away, Caesar Martinez and his group had heard what sounded like gunshots. With how empty everything was, sound tended to travel pretty far.

"You heard that?" Martinez asked, looking at his right hand man. He could always count on Eric while he was out on missions like this.

"Yeah. Sounds like it came from the east," the other man answered.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Yeah," Eric nodded. "We ought to tell The Governor. It's the only direction we haven't checked yet."

Martinez grinned. Those bastards Daryl and David could run and hide, but they'd find them. All in due time.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

"My best guess would be that it came from somewhere in or near Gray," Martinez said.

He, Eric and the Governor were looking over a map of Georgia.

"It's the city we were closest to and would provide several places for them to hide," Eric chimed in.

The Governor nodded, "Then I want you to check it. All of it. Take a few others, I want that city searched inside and out."

"That could take a while," Martinez replied, truthfully. "You sure you want to use your resources on them?" The Latino didn't mind going out on missions by himself or with Eric, but the more people that came along, the more problems there seemed to be, and lately, there had been a lot of turmoil in Woodbury, especially after the incident with Merle. The Governor had literally skinned the man alive and left him to the walkers in the middle of town. It hadn't left a very good impression on the citizens.

"You may be right," The Governor agreed. "We should try to keep things normal here. Try to keep everyone calm. Alright, you and Eric go. Take Jake with you."

"And if we find them?"

"Then you tell me their location. I'll get that hick son-of-a-bitch back one way or another."

Eric looked at him warily.

"There's several of them."

The Governor glared at him in response.

"Nothing," he said, slamming his hand down on the table, "Will stop me from getting him back. He's carrying my child! I'll get him back or die trying."

00

"Well, you're close to the end of your first trimester, so it makes sense that you're starting to show," Hershel explained.

He and Daryl were alone, discussing Daryl's pregnancy.

Hershel had done a quick exam using the small amount of tools available. He'd taken Daryl's BP, pulse, weight, and he'd listened around with a stethoscope.

"It's really not all that noticeable yet," Hershel added. "I mean, not unless you're looking for it. And even then you could put it off to you eating more often, gaining some weight from that."

"Carol noticed it," Daryl replied, blushing.

"Eventually you'll have to tell them. Whether it's now or later is up to you."

Daryl was quiet. He didn't like Hershel's response, even though it was honest. And for some reason, he felt like he wanted to cry again. God damn he hated these fucking hormones.

Seeing the tears building in the younger man's eyes, Hershel frowned.

"Daryl… If you're afraid of everyone's reaction… They'll be shocked, I'm sure, but they're going to accept it."

"I'm useless to them. They'll make me leave, and then what?"

Hershel rolled his eyes.

"Did they make Rick leave? What about Lori? Did they make Lori leave?"

"...No," Daryl replied. "They didn't."

"They won't make you leave. And if they tried, you can bet that me, David and Carol at the very least would not stand for it."

"That's another thing. Carol."

"You've got feelings for her. She's got them for you, too."

"I know. Don't you think she'll be disgusted?"

Hershel took a deep breath.

"Surprised, most likely. Not disgusted."

"I don't want to ruin it. Whatever it is that we have," Daryl said, softly. "I'm not… Not good with this type of thing. Never have been."

"Relationships, you mean?"

"With women in general. Before this… this whole thing, I was still freaking… I'd never…" Daryl trailed off, extremely embarrassed.

"You were a virgin?" Hershel sounded genuinely stunned.

When Daryl didn't reply, Hershel took that as a 'yes'.

"I'm sorry, son, I just assumed that you'd… ya know. You're a good lookin' guy. Wouldn't have been hard for you. Or I'd have thought that Merle would've set you up?"

"Merle fucked junkies. All his girlfriends were using or whores. I wasn't able to get into it. I tried, but, it just turned me off, I guess. I don't know. They made me nervous."

"I see."

"I know that's pathetic."

"It's not that unheard of."

"There was a whole movie about it. Remember? The forty year old virgin? I could've starred in that." Daryl knew he was kinda rambling now and forced himself to stop.

"Bottom line is I'm scared. What happens if she tells me to fuck off?"

"She won't, but if she does, I'll be here for you, as will David."

Daryl nodded.

"So you think I should tell her now, then?"

"I think that might be the best idea. Tell her before it becomes too obvious."

"Alright."

"And let me know how it goes."

"I will," Daryl replied. "And thanks."

"Any time, son. Any time."

00

"Pregnant." Carol repeated.

Daryl had just told her everything. The two were sitting in his room, door shut so no one else could hear the conversation.

"You know, you don't have to make up lies...It's okay that you've gained a little weight, no one's going to get mad at you for eating more, not after all you went through."

Daryl shook his head.

"I'm not lyin! Or tryin' to make excuses. You can ask Hershel if you don't believe me. It's real. This is real," he lifted his shirt, exposing his stomach, "There's a fuckin' baby in there."

Carol stared for a moment, then reached her hand out.

"Can I… Can I touch?"

"Yeah. You won't feel much though."

Nonetheless Carol rested her hand flat against Daryl's stomach.

When she said nothing, Daryl took it as disgust.

"I know you think I'm a freak, and I am, but I thought I ought to tell you before it got more noticeable. I understand if you don't wanna be anywhere near me."

Carol looked at him, a hurt expression on her face.

"I don't think that you're a freak. This is odd, yes, but I remember hearing about cases of it before."

"You don't?"

Carol shook her head 'no'.

"Of course not. Do you not realize how much I care about you? And to think I'd stop talking to you…" Now Carol looked like she was about to cry.

Daryl quickly took her hand.

"No, I'm sorry, Carol… This whole thing is just so weird. Scary. I… I've got feelings for you. It's never been like that before, and I don't want you to leave but I don't want you to feel obligated to stay because we're friends or -"

Daryl was cut off by Carol, who had leaned in to kiss him.

After several seconds, she pulled back, leaving Daryl looking bewildered.

"I have feelings for you too," she said, smiling.

"I...I'm glad," Daryl stammered. "That was… Wow."

"Not only that, but I'd be honored if you'd allow me to help you through this. Your pregnancy, I mean. I was a mother, you know. I can understand what you're going through. Then maybe when it's born…"

"When it's born you can help me raise it."

Carol held on to Daryl's hand a little tighter.

"I think I'd like that, Daryl."

With that, they kissed again.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19

"We've done this three times. They're not on the outskirts, that's for sure," Eric said.

He, Martinez and Jake - one of the teenage soldier-trainees from Woodbury - were carefully making their way around the town of Gray. For the past week they'd slowly circled around the city, checking every building thoroughly.

They had hoped that their search would be easy - that they'd find Daryl and his gang holed up somewhere on the edge of town, but that hadn't been the case.

"We'll have to start going in then. Take it street by street. Check larger buildings - schools, hospitals, anywhere that might hold a decent amount of people. If nothing, then we'll move on to private residences," Martinez replied.

"Alright," Jake agreed. "Got a question though."

"What's that?"

"You think the Governor'll kill him when we find him?"

Martinez chuckled.

"Kill Daryl? No. No, he wants that baby. But by the time the Governor's through with him, that hick will wish he was dead."

00

Daryl was tired today. More so than usual. Which was kind of sad, he figured, since he hadn't actually been doing much more than lying in bed, resting, eating and talking to Carol.

"It's okay, go to sleep," Carol urged, noting that Daryl kept slowly closing his eyes, only to force them open again.

"I shouldn't be tired. I don't do nothin'."

"It's because of the baby. I was tired too, when I was carrying Sophia. It's probably worse for you because you're male. At least us females are used to the hormones and all."

Daryl sighed.

The hormones had really been fucking with him lately.

Thankfully, the urge to cry hadn't happened as much, but he had felt extremely depressed.

He knew he was lucky. Damn lucky. Had it not been for David and Merle, he'd still be chained up in Woodbury. Not only was he safe, but now he was back with Carol, too. And they were together. In a relationship. Daryl had never had that before.

Mainly, Daryl felt guilty. Guilty about Merle, and for causing everyone in the group so much trouble. They'd had to leave the prison because of him, and he knew damn well that they were all cutting their rations to make sure that he had a little more to eat. Everyone did everything for him yet he couldn't repay them.

Frowning, Daryl decided to take Carol's advice. He closed his eyes yet again.

"Will you be here?" He asked, before allowing himself to nod off.

"When you wake up?"

"Mhm."

Carol kissed Daryl's hand.

"Always am. Always will be."

00

Daryl and Carol had not yet consummated their relationship. Which to Carol was kind of fair, considering the circumstances. She would have loved to get sexual with him but it was clear that he wasn't ready yet.

David and Beth had a different story.

Down the hall, the two had just finished making love, Beth having done so for the very first time. The two lay next to each other, both panting.

"How was it?" David asked, nervously. It had been so long since he'd pleased a woman, he hoped that he'd at least given Beth a decent first experience.

"It was… painful, at first, but then when you touched my button…" she blushed, "Well, that was great."

David grinned.

"Glad you enjoyed it. It'll get less painful as time goes on, just takes a little while…"

"Yeah, you're uh… Pretty impressive down there."

"Hehe," David smiled again, "Thanks. I like to think so."

There was a silence, both staring up at the ceiling. The sun was shining through the blinds, casting light all around the room.

"I like you," Beth said, looking at David.

"I like you too."

Suddenly there was a sound outside in the hallway. Footsteps.

"Daddy?" A voice called out.

It was Elena. She'd been entrusted to Maggie's care, David saying that he wanted some time to clean up.

"Beth? David?" Maggie asked.

"Oh, shit," David mumbled. "Yeah, one second!" He jumped up and quickly found his clothes, pulling the on as fast as possible. Beth, meanwhile, hid in the bathroom.

"What's up?" David asked, opening the door. "Sorry, was in the bathroom."

"Oh. No problem. Elena was asking for you."

David smiled at his daughter.

"Hi, little girl, how's it going?"

"Daddy!" Elena hugged him.

Maggie smiled. She wondered if she and Glenn had a child, if they would be as happy and sweet as Elena was.

"Have you seen Beth at all?" Maggie asked next.

"Beth?"

"Yeah… you know, my sister?" The response was sarcastic.

"Oh, no." No one knew about their sexual relationship yet, and David didn't want to let the secret out just now. "I thought she mentioned going to the cafeteria before."

"Oh, okay," Maggie replied. She seemed to believe him. David mentally sighed in relief.

"Well if you see her tell her I'm looking for her."

"Will do! Thanks for watching Elena!"

"Anytime."

David forced another smile, brought Elena into the room, then closed the door.

00

In Woodbury, the Governor sat in his home, carefully working on his newest project.

It hadn't been easy. He'd had to get his hands on a lot of salt, and some other ingredients. Thankfully he'd had more than enough material to practice on.

"Here we go," he said to himself, as he finished off the last of his work.

He held it up to the light and looked it over. It would make a fine present for Daryl. He was sure of it.


	20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20

Daryl woke up early in the morning, drenched in sweat and in a massive amount of pain.

He'd been hit by arrows before, cut up, beat up, all of that, but nothing compared to what he was feeling right then.

"Fuck," he hissed, reaching out. Carol was right there, next to him, asleep as always. He pulled on her arm to wake her up.

"Carol...Get Hershel," he ordered, breathing heavily. Had he not been in as much pain as he was, he would've been thankful for Carol's presence, if only because there was no way that he could realistically walk to find the older man himself.

Carol's eyes grew wide.

"What's wrong? Are you in pain?!"

"Get...Hershel…!" Daryl rasped out again. "...Please."

Carol nodded and stood up, then ran from the room. Many thoughts ran through her mind as she moved. Daryl wasn't even four months along yet! There was no way the baby would survive if it were born now.

With Carol gone, Daryl tried to focus on something besides the pain. But what?

Breathing. Didn't expectant mothers do that deep breathing lamaze thing?

He did his best to take a deep breath and hold it, counting to six before letting it out. Then he did it again.

It helped to an extent. It took his mind off of the pain, at least somewhat, but the hurt was still bad enough for him to grip the sides of the bed hard enough to make his knuckles turn white.

After what felt like forever, Hershel came limping in, followed by David. Carol trailed behind the both of them.

"What's going on?" Hershel asked, doing his best to kneel down to Daryl's level.

"..Hurts… so… bad…"

Daryl wanted to cry. That's how much it hurt. It was like something was trying to push its way out of him. Every few minutes, it would stop, but it inevitably always came back.

"Alright, alright, it's going to be okay," Hershel reassured him.

"Agh!" Daryl screamed, as another wave of pain hit. "Make it stop!"

The look on Hershel's face was calm.

"Okay, son, it's alright." Hershel looked at David, "Help me get him up."

David looked calm, too, oddly enough. Carol seemed terrified, but was keeping quiet.

Wordlessly, David reached under Daryl's underarms and pulled him up.

"Come on, you need to stand."

"...Can't," was Daryl's reply.

"Yes you can, son. You're having false contractions, albeit strong ones. If you can get up and walk around it'll help and if it doesn't, well, I'll give you some pain medicine. I'd like that to be our last resort though."

A few seconds later, David finally got Daryl on his feet.

"Carol, a little help?" He asked.

Carol moved over and helped support Daryl, putting him between herself and David.

"Come on. You can do it," Hershel urged.

Daryl swallowed and slowly took a step forward. Then another one. David could feel that his pulse was racing, but chose to ignore it. He'd had a similar experience when pregnant with Elena, and he knew that the pain would soon pass.

"Good job," Carol praised, softly.

Daryl nodded and took another step.

Soon enough they were out in the hallway, slowly walking back and forth, Hershel watching the entire time.

It was close to three in the morning, but no one cared. If Daryl needed help they would be there for him.

After several minutes, the pain finally began to ease.

Now, Daryl was straight up tired. David and Carol could feel him beginning to slow down.

"Want to go back to bed?" David asked.

"Please," Daryl mumbled.

Wordlessly, Carol and David led him back, helping him to lie down. Carol pulled the covers up over her boyfriend once again.

"Thank you," Daryl said, to all three of his friends. "I'm sorry I woke you. I thought that maybe…" He trailed off, too embarrassed to finish the sentence.

"That maybe you'd lost the baby?" David finished.

Daryl nodded, though it was barely noticeable. He refused to meet anyone's gaze. Carol noticed that Daryl did that a lot - wouldn't look people in the eyes if he was upset, hurt or embarrassed.

"How'd you know?"

"Same thing happened to me when I was with Elena. Scared the crap out of me. Thank God for Maria, she saved me. Told me what to do. Walked me around. It happens more with mpregs than it does with pregnant women."

"Thank you," Daryl repeated.

He was really tired now.

"You just go back to sleep. Call if you need us again. No need to feel embarrassed," Hershel told him.

Daryl nodded and closed his eyes.

00

David and Hershel walked back down the hallway together.

"Thanks for all the help," Hershel said. "I think you being there calmed him down."

"Maybe. He respects your opinion more though."

The sound of something outside stopped their conversation.

"What was that?" Hershel asked.

David shook his head and ran over to the nearest room. It had sounded like someone had been driving around in the parking lot outside.

He peered through the blinds.

"Shit."

He turned to Hershel.

"That was a truck. Someone probably knows that we're here."

00

A meeting between Michonne, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel and David was called at dawn. They needed to discuss what had been seen the previous evening, and they met in the cafeteria to do so.

"A truck," Glenn said. "What kind?"

"Ford pickup. Late 2000's model. Looked a lot like the type they used in Woodbury," David answered.

"So, you think it's him, then."

David frowned.

"It may well be. I'm sure that the Governor is looking for him. He probably sent out some of his cronies to find him. It looked like the truck had come out from the parking garage and into the main lot, so if it was his people, they saw our vehicles."

"Same point, it could just be another band of survivors," Maggie replied. "They didn't try to get in, after all, and three in the morning would've been a good time to do so. Would've caught us all off guard."

"Good point," Hershel said.

David shook his head.

"I'm not so sure it's not them. I know Blake. He's not going to want to directly attack the group and risk injuring Daryl. He wants that kid inside of him - at the very least, he will keep him alive until the kid is born. He might've just wanted to find where we are and come up with a plan from there."

"What do you suppose we do?" Maggie asked.

"We step up our guard," Michonne spoke for the first time. "We make sure that whoever is on watch is fully armed, maybe have two people on instead of just one. We pack a run bag, too, in case we need to leave. We plan it. Plan for how to get out if he comes back. Plan where we'll go, what we will do, ensure that we have the supplies that we'll need to get us there."

"She's right," Glenn agreed. "But we don't have that many people to put on guard. There's us, Carl, maybe. Can we trust Rick?"

Hershel shook his head.

"I'm not sure. He seems better, but sometimes he has those fits… seizures. The medication has helped his mind but it's hurting his body. I'm not sure if he would be a viable option for fighting."

"What about Beth?" Michonne suggested.

David didn't like that thought, but he tried not to show it. Hershel, however, noticed.

"Perhaps she could sit with Rick, and they could keep a look out from a higher level. He can walk - we can get him to an upstairs room. She can take Elena and Judith, too. Alert us if they see anyone coming from the distance."

David physically relaxed, causing Hershel to smirk. He wasn't knew something was going on between his daughter and their newest member.

"That sounds like a good idea. There's just one more thing," David said.

Everyone looked at him.

"Do we tell Daryl?"

"We probably ought to," Maggie replied. "I mean, shouldn't he know?"

"The stress might be too much for him. You all were asleep when it happened, but last night he had false contractions, very painful. David, Carol and I helped him through it. The less stress he's under, the better.

"Then we can't tell Carol, either," Maggie said.

"Probably best not to. Are we settled, then?" Hershel brought the meeting to a close.

Everyone mumbled a 'yes' or nodded in agreement.

"I'll go set up a few packs in case we need to run," Maggie volunteered.

"And I'll take first watch," Michonne added. "I'll go get Carl too. Fill him in."

"Sounds good," Hershel answered. "Let's plan for the worst and hope for the best."


	21. Chapter 21

Ch. 21

Everything was prepped. Bags were packed, filled with extra medical supplies - saline bags, bandages, pills of different types. Any blankets not currently in use were added to the bags, along with a few pillows and sets of hospital scrubs. If they had to leave, they wanted Daryl and Rick to at least be comfortable.

The bags were hidden, but readily accessible, put away in a small supply closet in Glenn and Maggie's room, which happened to be closest to the exit.

Michonne had gone out and gassed the cars they'd taken - syphoning from other abandoned vehicles if necessary.

And, of course, everyone was on the lookout.

Rick, Beth, Elena and Judith had moved to a room on the fourth floor with a good view of the parking lot and road outside of it. If anyone was seen coming, Beth was to run and alert the others. Meanwhile, below, everyone except Daryl and Carol took turns on guard.

00

Daryl knew something was up.

Everyone's attitudes had changed, Carol being the only exception.

It was like they were all waiting on something, or waiting for something.

Daryl questioned everyone he could, but they all said the same thing: They were just upping their security to protect Rick and Daryl better.

While the gesture seemed nice, it made Daryl angry. These people - his family, really - were putting their necks on the line because of him. For him. And he couldn't help! The thought nagged at him, ate at him.

He'd attempted several times to help stand guard. He could, after all, still shoot his cross bow or a gun, but every attempt ended up with him being angrily pushed away, back to his room.

Amidst all of this, Daryl entered his 4th month of pregnancy.

He was definitely showing now, and it was embarrassing. Part of it was probably extra weight from the extra food and lack of activity, he knew that. Still, it was weird. He had always been so fit. To look down and see that he had a belly was odd. It made him feel less attractive than ever.

The thing he hated most was when Carol touched it.

For some reason, she seemed to like to do that. Touch his stomach. She would rest her hand on it or rub it and move her hand up his chest. Thankfully, she didn't touch him up there too much. His nipples were insanely sensitive. He supposed he ought to be thankful that he wasn't growing a pair of tits.

They had shown some affection though. He kept thinking about when they'd had their first kiss.

For Carol, it was fantastic. She had been longing to kiss him for months.

For Daryl, it was kind of scary. Good, but scary.

His main worry was fucking it up somehow.

The thing was, he hadn't really ever kissed a girl before. Well, once he had. When he was like, eight. One of the neighbor girls had gone out in the woods with him and had given him a kiss. But it was really just a peck on the lips. What he and Carol did, well, it was way more than that.

He was grateful that she took the lead, biting his lips, moving her tongue around his mouth before kissing his ears and neck.

Needless to say, the whole thing had left him aroused. Carol had tried to help with that too, but Daryl felt too shy - too scared to show her his body - so he'd pushed her away, gone to the bathroom to jack off.

Lately he had been wearing nothing but baggy hospital scrubs. He knew that Carol knew what his body looked like - she'd touched him enough - but the thought of letting her outright see it all, it kinda made him want to vomit.

00

One day, about two weeks after the car had first been sighted by the others, Hershel gave Daryl another exam.

He checked Daryl's vitals, as he had the last time, and he used his stethoscope to hear the baby too. From what he could tell, the baby was fine.

Daryl left the exam feeling happy that the baby was seemingly okay, but annoyed that he'd apparently gained eight pounds in the last month.

Hershel told him it was because he had been so underweight to begin with, but Daryl wasn't really paying attention.

Merle would laugh at him, he thought to himself. Worried about gaining a few pounds like some woman. It was pathetic, really. He guessed that the reason it bothered him was because of Carol. The fear that she would be disgusted by him had yet to go away.

He returned to his room with a scowl on his face. Carol, of course, was waiting for him, bed made up and wearing the nice, hunter green low cut shirt that he liked.

She smiled at him as he entered.

"How'd it go?"

"...Fine," he grumbled, walking past her.

She followed closely behind.

"Is the baby alright?"

"Uh-huh. Fine."

"So shouldn't you be happy?"

Daryl stopped, turned to Carol and sighed.

"I _am_ happy."

"But you're stomping all over like you're angry. So tell me what's wrong." She moved to close the door.

"It's stupid," Daryl answered.

He had no idea how he could explain this whole thing. He'd sound like a complete idiot, a pathetic man, better just to try to avoid the subject entirely.

"I'm fine."

Carol smiled again, and gently pushed him back towards the bed. She crawled on top of him straddling him.

"You know," she said, kissing him, "You can tell me anything." Another kiss. "And I'll always listen to you," she moved to kiss his ear, "Even if you think whatever's on your mind is stupid." A kiss on his collar bone, this time.

Daryl opened his mouth to protest, but Carol quickly shut him up by reaching down and touching his cock. It was already hard. Just her kisses had gotten him there.

"Carol, you don't have to -"

"Shhh," Carol replied, grinning. "I want to."

She slunk further down, nimble fingers pulling Daryl's pants lower.

A second later, her mouth was around him, her hand wrapped around it as well. She moved up and down, moved her tongue around the tip of his cock and it was unlike anything Daryl had ever felt.

"Ohgod," he gasped. Her mouth was so warm and it felt so good and - fuck!

Daryl's whole body tensed as he released into her mouth. Carol immediately pulled back.

"Jesus fuckin' Christ," he growled, "I'm so fuckin' sorry."

Carol wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

"It's okay," she said, but Daryl hadn't heard it.

He stood back up, pulled his scrub pants higher and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

_Stupid! Stupid, stupid! How fucking stupid could he be? He'd lasted what - ten seconds? And then he'd shot it right into her mouth, no fuckin' respect for her at all!_

Daryl turned on the shower, letting the cold water hit him as he felt sorry for himself.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: I looked around on-line to see if there were any pics with Merle having tattoos. I'm not sure that he did, but for this story, he did.

Ch. 22

When Martinez, Eric and Jake returned with word that they'd found Daryl and his friends, the Governor was overjoyed. While Martinez and Eric seemed happy to have accomplished their mission, the grin on the Governor's face made Jake uncomfortable.

He hadn't known Daryl, just known of him. Despite the Governor's claims, it still seemed wrong to torment a man who was with child. Jake wished that if something was going to be done, it would be quick and painless.

He didn't voice any of this though. Didn't dare. It wouldn't do to have the Governor out for him, too.

00

Three weeks after the truck had been seen, everyone began to relax. Maybe it really had just been some other group of survivors.

They still kept the bags packed – no reason to unpack them, really, unless they ended up needing more supplies, and they still kept guard, but everyone seemed to feel like the chances that the Governor had found them were slim.

Daryl noticed that everyone seemed more relaxed. He liked this. It made things easier, especially since he now had to rely on them more so than before.

After what had happened with Carol, Daryl had done his best to distance himself from her.  
He had been so embarrassed! And the look on her face when he had emerged from the shower – he'd never forget that. She was wide-eyed and frowning.

Neither of them had even said anything. Carol had wanted to – Daryl could tell – but he didn't think that he could deal with a break-up speech right then so he simply opened the door and motioned for her to leave.

Which she did.

Since then, she had tried to contact him. Twice. Each time he gave her the cold shoulder, telling her he didn't want to talk or nothin' like that.

So, she'd gone off. Gotten her own room. She hadn't come around in days.

Now, it was mainly David that was taking care of Daryl's needs. Beth helped out sometimes, too. She seemed to follow David wherever he went, it seemed, and Daryl couldn't help but feel resentment. Two kids had managed to make a relationship work and yet he couldn't do it.

Still, his situation was not David or Beth's fault. He tried not to show his anger towards them, though sometimes he slipped up.

Today was one of those days where he'd done that. Slipped up.

The two had come to his room, Beth bearing a tray of food, David wanting to get him up and walking around - Hershel's orders – and both of them smelled like sex.

"Ya'll can't even take some fuckin' showers before comin'here?" Daryl asked, glaring at both of them.

"I'm sorry?" Beth questioned, confused.

"I can smell the sex on you. You both been goin' at it like rabbits. At least take a fuckin'shower, last thing we need is someone spreadin' herpes or whatever around."

David raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me? First off, our sexual lives are none of your business. Secondly, there aren't any STDs going around – I'll tell you that for sure. Thirdly, maybe the reason neither of us have showered is because we're too busy helping your ass out!"

"Helpin' me out?!" Daryl sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. "I don't need your fuckin' help! I can do everything I need to do by myself. The only reason I'm even _letting_ you help me is because you got me outta Woodbury!"

"Yeah, you're right. You don't need any help. It's not like your pregnancy is half as likely to terminate, or anything. Or like you might need special care to prevent that from happening. No, you can get along just fine. Here," he took the tray from Beth's hands and shoved it into Daryl's.

"From here on out, you make your own food, you take your own walks, you do everything on your own, and when you feel weak again, you crawl back to bed by yourself. Fair?"

David was pissed, and it startled Daryl to an extent. For some reason, he had thought that the kid would just shut up and take it.

The kid was right, though. Hershel had told him how his pregnancy was considered high risk and how it was imperative that Daryl take care of himself – or be taken care of – adequately.

Daryl sat back down and put the tray aside, mood changing from angry to remorseful.

"I'm sorry," he said, under his breath.

David and Beth looked at each other, waiting a few seconds before David spoke up.

"Look, it's okay, man. I get it. Really, I do. I've been there. Literally. I'm not sure about whatever's going on with you and Carol, but it's clearly upsetting you. I don't think your yelling fit is just all hormones."

"Carol hates me," Daryl replied, staring down at his feet.

"What?" This time it was Beth speaking.

"Huh?" Daryl glanced up

"Are you nuts?" The girl asked.

"No?"

"Carol totally doesn't hate you. You know that, right?" Beth was staring at him as if he had three heads.

"I fucked up. She wants to break up with me. I'm saving her the trouble of having to say it."

David shook his head, "Uh, Daryl, I think you've got things mixed up. She's been really upset about you not wanting to see her. She doesn't understand what she's done wrong. I really, really don't think she wants to leave you."

"But…But I did somethin' bad."

"It can't be _that_ bad, whatever it is. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Ah." Daryl considered David's offer. The kid was half his age but probably had far more experience than he did. Maybe he could give some advice, embarrassing as it might be to discuss everything.

"Yeah. Maybe that'd help. But, uh…" He looked at Beth, hoping she'd get the hint. He didn't want her hearing all the details.

Beth simply smiled.

"I've got some clothes to wash. I'll take Elena and meet you upstairs later," she said.

She leaned in, kissed David on the cheek, and promptly left the room.

00

Two hours later, Daryl was in a much better place mentally.

David really did have a good amount of experience and he hadn't once even laughed at Daryl's story. He'd explained that what happened was normal and that Carol – who was sexually experienced – surely understood that it was normal too.

The fact that David said things would get better with practice made Daryl feel slightly better as well. It was good to know he wouldn't be having this issue forever.

And, if what Beth and David had said were true, if Carol really did miss him and want him, maybe they could get back together.

Daryl was just about to find her when he was stopped in the hallway by Carl.

"Daryl?" The boy asked.

"What's goin' on?"

Carl's expression was blank, and it made Daryl wonder if something bad had happened.

"You ought to come see Glenn and Maggie. We have something to show you."

"Okay," Daryl agreed.

He followed the boy down the hall to Glenn and Maggie's room, where everyone else, including Carol, was gathered as well.

Carl closed the door behind them as they entered.

"What's goin' on?" Daryl asked again.

"Daryl, sit down," Hershel instructed.

Maggie and Glenn quickly made room for him on the bed, and Daryl did as he was told.

Whatever this was, it was clearly going to be bad.

"We found something earlier," Maggie started.

She held up an envelope.

"Okay…"

"It…Well, it's obviously for you."

"Well give it over."

With shaking hands, Maggie gave him the object.

Daryl opened the envelope. Nothing was in it except for what looked like a piece of leather.

"What the…" he looked it over, before dropping it. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.

It was a piece of leather alright. A piece of leather made of human skin. It had one of Merle's tattoos on it, still completely recognizable.

Daryl felt like he was going to be sick, and he was shortly after, he was.


	23. Chapter 23

Ch. 23

Carol rubbed Daryl's back as he vomited into the nearest trash can and David held him to keep him from collapsing. Meanwhile, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne and Hershel were talking.

Obviously, they'd have to come clean with Daryl about the truck they'd seen. The Governor was definitely after them. The choice, now, was whether to stay and fight or to try to leave.

Rick sat amongst everyone, listening intently. Whichever route they took, he knew he'd have to help, and there was only one way to do that - to stop taking the medicine.

The pills may have straightened his mind out but they'd damaged him physically, giving him seizures and making him weak. He'd probably gained a good twenty pounds as well, in way too short a time.

He would be more valuable to the group if he was fit and capable of fighting. He was probably better mentally now, too, he reasoned. Yeah, he could do without the meds. He had to protect Carl and Judith and Elena and Daryl the others. They were more important than anything.

00

The decision was made to send out a couple of people to scout for new locations. While it would have been preferable to stay in Georgia, where much of the group was born and raised, it made more sense to get out of state. The further they were from the Governor, the better.

Finding a suitable location would take time, though, especially if there was a long distance to be traveled.

In the end it was decided that Glenn and Maggie would go. The others would stay at the hospital and guard it.

Michonne, David, Carl and Rick, who was feeling surprisingly strong, all helped to load the car. They were taking a Subaru. It had four wheel drive and would be strong enough to get them out of most situations while being fairly fuel efficient.

The trunk was loaded with supplies - water, food, four guns and ammo, a set of knives and some blankets. An extra few containers of gas were also thrown in.

When it was time to send them off, everyone gathered at the exit to say goodbye. Everyone, that was, except for Daryl and Carol. The group understood, though. Daryl had been taking the Governor's little gift particularly hard.

"Now, you guys come back as soon as you can," Hershel told them, before giving Maggie a kiss on the head.

He then looked at Glenn.

"I trust you to protect her."

"I will, of course," Glenn replied.

Hershel gave him a hug.

And then, they were off.

00

Since receiving the package, Daryl had been completely despondent.

He laid in bed, all day, staring at the wall. He barely spoke and generally refused to eat.

The mix of emotions that Daryl felt was almost unbearable.

Guilt was the main one, followed by anger. Hurt. And… there was fear.

No one was able to figure out how the Governor had managed to slip the package under the door. No one had noticed any vehicles going in or out, which meant that most likely, whoever brought it had come in on foot. They'd failed at their jobs as lookouts and they all knew it.

Daryl never liked to admit to being afraid. Dixons didn't show fear. That's what his father had always tried to instill in him. Merle had been the same.

Daryl wished that he could be even half as brave as Merle had been. The man had literally laid down his life for him. But even before that, Merle was always brave and strong. He'd cut off his own hand, for fucks sake!

Anyway, Daryl couldn't get the thought of the Governor re-capturing him out of his mind. The thought of that man raising his baby was even worse.

He must have whimpered, or made some sound at that thought, because Carol held him a little tighter.

"It's okay," she whispered.

She'd been a permanent fixture in his room once again, this time lying beside Daryl in bed instead of in a chair nearby.

Sad as it seemed, Carol's touches actually helped to calm him. He closed his eyes as she reached around and rubbed his stomach and leaned in to kiss the side of his head.

It felt good to have her near. Having David standing in the door, armed with a Glock and a Baretta helped too.

00

For a day, nothing happened. No one showed up at the college, no packages arrived.

Daryl was still upset. Carol had tried all morning to try to get him to eat, but he refused. Just the mere thought of eating made him want to vomit. All he could think of was Merle. Merle couldn't eat anymore. He couldn't do anything anymore. He was dead, and he had been tortured, and it was all Daryl's fault.

More tears fell from his eyes as he considered this yet again. And yet again, Carol hugged him and wiped his tears.

By evening, Carol was starting to get annoyed. So was Hershel, and so was David.

"If you're not going to eat for yourself, then eat for the kid," David told the older man.

"He's right. You wouldn't want Merle's death to be in vain, would you?" Hershel added.

Ugh. Merle again. Daryl wondered if Merle had even known that he was pregnant. Actually, that seemed like a fair enough question. He decided to ask.

"Did he know?" Daryl looked at David.

"About the baby?"

"Yeah."

David frowned.

"He knew. I told him. Felt I had to. But, he would've helped to get you out either way. Seein' you the way you were.. well, it hurt him deeply. He told me how much it had hurt to act like he didn't care when he saw you that one time. Felt like it cut him like a knife. So Hershel is right - don't let Merle's death be in vain. You gotta stay healthy, and you gotta keep your baby healthy too."

Daryl knew that David was right. He still wasn't hungry, but he could at least try to force something down.

"Fine," he said, softly."I'll eat."

"Good," Hershel replied. "I can go get you something. I'll be right back."

Everyone watched as Hershel hobbled down the hallway.

"You're good friends," Daryl said. "I owe you."

"The only thing you owe us is to try to keep yourself well," Carol answered.

David nodded in agreement.

"Besides, that kid you got, they're gonna be tough as nails! Good to have around for when we get older."

Daryl grinned at that thought. His kid would be totally badass. He knew it.

00

One day two, another package arrived. This time, though, Michonne had caught the messenger.

She forced the teenager inside, sword to his throat, then had Carl handcuff him to a chair in the hallway.

She'd caught the kid at an odd hour. Obviously he had been timing his entrance to coincide with the 'changing of the guard'. It made sense - with people coming and going, it was easier to slip by and leave things near the doors.

Carl alerted everyone but Daryl to their captive, and everyone, including Rick, came down to see him for themselves.

Rick had been acting differently lately. He seemed stronger, more like his old self, and he instantly took charge of the matter. It was almost like they had the old Rick back.

No one questioned it. Hershel had just assumed that the side effects of the medicine had calmed down. He never suspected that Rick was hiding the pills.

Gun on one hip and knife on the other, Rick approached the boy. He stared him down, circling the chair he was tied to like an animal circling its prey.

"Now, boy, here's how this is gonna go. We can do this the hard way, or the easy way."

The kid swallowed nervously as Rick took out his knife.

"What's your name?"

"Jake. Jacob," the kid answered. That knife looked really fucking sharp.

Rick nodded, "And who sent you?"

That, the kid wouldn't answer. Whatever this guy did couldn't be worse than what the Governor would do if he found out that he'd talked.

"Not gonna answer? That's fine," Rick said, cooly.

He grabbed Jake's arm, yanking it as far as the handcuffs would allow him to move it. Then he cut into the boy's skin vertically.

"You're going to bleed out eventually," Rick explained."But since it's only one wrist, it might take a bit. Not a terrible way to go, but you are quite young."

Jake wanted to cry. He hadn't wanted to do all this! But the Governor had wanted him on board, and he felt that he'd had to obey. He knew what happened to those who went against the man's wishes.

A single tear slid down his cheek, and Michonne grabbed the package that he'd brought with him. This time it was a box. She looked it over carefully.

"Is this some type of bomb?"

"N-no," the kid replied. It really wasn't.

"There's no way to tell if he's lying," Beth said, nervously.

"He's not lying." Rick was looking the kid straight in the eyes. "It's a gift from the Governor, right? To Daryl?"

Jake didn't respond, so Rick began pulling on his other arm.

Right before the knife touched his skin, Jake spoke.

"Stop! It's - it's not a bomb! It's… it's a heart."

"A heart?"

"Merle's…It's Merle's heart. Or what's left of it. The Walkers didn't leave much."

"Jesus Christ," Hershel mumbled.

"How'd you get here?" Rick continued his questioning.

"They dropped me off a mile down. Rode a bike over, 'cause it's quiet."

Rick looked at Michonne for confirmation of this.

"The bike's near the door."

"Can you let me go, now?" Jake asked, still looking terrified. He was definitely bleeding a lot. Maybe if he could get out, he could find a tourniquet or something to help stop the blood flow.

"No. But we'll get you cleaned up," Rick said.

He glanced at Hershel, who moved to gather supplies.

"If you think you're going back, you're nuts," Rick went on. "You're going to stay here and tell us whatever we need to know. And if you don't, well… I really don't feel any qualms killing you."

Jake nodded in understanding. Fuck, this was bad.

00

Rick had walked off after he'd finished interrogating the kid. He could see Lori, at the end of the hall, smiling. He'd done good. She was proud of him, obviously. He smiled back, but kept quiet.

_'Sorry,' _he mentally apologized. _'I can't let them know about you, or they'll mess me up again. But I think we'll get him, Lori. I really do.'_

And just like that, Lori was gone.


	24. Chapter 24

Ch. 24

"Sir. Jake didn't come back," Martinez started.

He was standing in the Governor's home, watching as the man paced back and forth. They'd expected the kid back hours ago, but he had yet to show.

"They probably got him," Martinez continued. "Or maybe the biters did."

"They've got him, I'm sure."

"Killed him?"

"No. They'll want information from him. And he will probably give it."

"The kid seemed pretty loyal. I'd give him _some_ credit."

The Governor chuckled.

"You stupid man. There's only so long that a kid like him can take torture. That's what they're doing, you know. Torturing him."

"That's not right. He's just a kid."

"Exactly. Which is why we're going to get him back. Tonight. Go get Eric, Timothy, Terrance - get six or seven of our best men, and have the trucks loaded in the hour. We're going to pay our friends a visit."

00

"Tell me, kid. What's the Governor's plan?"

Rick was sitting in front of Jacob once again, staring him down. The kid looked terrified.

"He'll kill me," Jacob mumbled.

"And I'll kill you if you don't speak up. Either way, you're dead. Make your choice!"

"Can...Can you let me go, if I tell you? I don't even wanna go back to him, man. I just want to leave. Try out on my own. Every time I run into a group there's trouble and I'm tired of it."

Rick looked deep into the kid's eyes. Read his features and body language. He seemed sincere.

"We might be able to arrange that."

Jake's shoulders slumped.

"Alright, then. The Governor wants to play with Daryl. Fuck with him, you know. Punish him. He's pissed and he wants Daryl to suffer for leaving and… ya know."

"I dont know."

"...Takin' the child. He wants the baby. He wants Daryl to hurt, and then when hes done sending stuff, he's gonna attack. Gonna 'take back what's his'."

"And when's this attack supposed to occur?"

"I don't know. There's no like, set date. Since I haven't come back I expect the timing will be moved up some. He'll attack, blame it on you all capturing me. Most people back there believe him, believe in him. They'll do what he says."

"Great," Rick said, under his breath. He'd thought they'd at least have had a few days, maybe enough time for Glenn and Maggie to get back.

00

After his second talk with Jake, Rick ordered everyone to do a sweep of the hospital and to gather any extra supplies that they might need. They were to head out that evening - the sooner the better.

The group worked well together - Michonne and David keeping watch while Beth, Rick, Carol and Carl searched the hospital one last time.

Daryl was the only one not doing anything, and that was because he'd been ordered not to. The only thing he had to do, according to Hershel, was to get dressed and be ready to go.

The hunter no longer had many articles of clothing. There was a pair of jeans that David had gifted him with, but they were too small now, and a couple of t-shirts that Carol had found in a lost-and-found box in one of the hallways. The rest of his wardrobe consisted of hospital scrubs.

Nonetheless, he threw on one of the t-shirts - an XL sized gray one with a Nike logo on it - and a pair of blue scrub pants. After that, he sat on his bed, waiting for his next orders and trying not to feel too resentful.

No one had told him what was going on except that they were leaving. Something bad must have been on the verge of happening but of course the others didn't want to 'stress him out' so they'd left him in the dark.

Sighing, he rested a hand on his stomach. Just a few hours prior, he'd felt the baby kick for the first time. Everyone had been so busy with their captive that he hadn't had a chance to mention it, but it made him happy. It was proof that the kid was alive and probably healthy.

"It's gonna be alright," he said aloud. "We're gonna get outta here, and you and me and Carol are gonna be a nice little family, and I'll teach ya how to hunt and track and shoot."

Just the thought of all that made Daryl feel better. After a few minutes, he felt another kick.

"Yeah, yeah, calm down. We're going soon."

As if on cue, Carl poked his head through the door at that exact moment.

"Dad's got the van ready. You're going with him, Carol, Michonne, Judith and me."

"And what about everyone else?"

"They'll be following. You got anything else you need in here?"

"No."

"Good, then let's get going."

Daryl followed the boy out into the hallway. Michonne and Carol were already waiting near the exit. Carol had Judith in her arms.

"Come on, let's get going," Michonne said.

The group followed him down a flight of stairs and out into the garage, where Rick was waiting near the van. He took Judith from Carol's arms and put her into a car seat - something they'd picked up from an abandoned car previously.

Then he turned around.

"Go on, get in."

Michonne climbed into the front seat, while Carl and Carol sandwiched Judith between them. Daryl was left to get into the back.

Rick had just sat down in the driver's seat when the first shot sounded. It was quickly followed by another, then another.

They were under attack.

Without missing a beat, Michonne climbed out of the car.

"Go!" she yelled, stepping back. "Go now!"

"I can't leave you!" Rick protested.

"Save the baby and Daryl. Go, dammit!" The woman drew her sword and pointed it at Rick.

Knowing he wouldn't win this fight, he conceded.

"Fine. Here," he pulled his gun from its holster and shoved it into Michonne's hand, "When you get out, cross the border into South Carolina. Find the first overlook, we'll be waiting there."

Michonne nodded.

"Good luck," she said, slamming the passenger side door. "See you later."

00

The group drove for what seemed like hours. Daryl hadn't thought that they were so far from the state border but apparently they were.

The drive was silent, with the exception of Judith's occasional crying. Everyone in the car was wondering the same thing: Had their friends made it out alive?

Then, of course, there was the matter of Maggie and Glenn. They would likely come back to find the college empty, save for the bodies of their friends.

Both were horrible thoughts and Daryl did his best to push them from his mind, thinking about the baby instead. She had been kicking frequently during the ride.

She.

He wasn't sure why, but he had a feeling that the baby was a girl.

He again rested a hand on his belly, trying to calm her. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

00

"Oh my God!"

Carol's shout woke Daryl up.

The van had swerved off the road. Daryl could feel it moving before it hit a large tree and came to a stop.

Carl was the first one out of the car.

"What the fuck?!" He yelled, walking towards the driver's side. Rick was seemingly okay. The front passenger side took the hit, by some miracle.

"I'm sorry!" Rick answered, getting out as well. "Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine," Daryl called out. He hadn't felt much more than large jolt.

Judith was crying, so she was probably okay. Didn't look like she was hurt or bloody.

Then is eyes came to rest on Carol.

She had thrown her arm over Judith in an attempt to keep the car seat from moving forward, but had gotten knocked out herself. Her head rested against the seat in front of her, which was pushed pretty far back.

"Help me get her out of here," Daryl said, climbing over the middle seat to get out.

He pulled Judith from the wreck and handed her off to Carl.

"Rick, get over here!"

Rick ran around to the other side.

"Help me get her out," Daryl repeated.

Her legs were wedged up against the middle seat, and her body was twisted. Daryl wondered if she was dead. Just the thought of losing her made his heart beat faster. Rick must have had the same thought because he reached out to Carol's neck and checked for a pulse.

"She's still alive," he said.

"Thank God," Daryl replied. "Now come on. Help me."

Rick and Daryl did their best to free her, but it ended up being Carl who had done the most. His small hands most easily reached the lever on the side of the passenger seat and he was able, somehow, to move it forward, freeing Carol's legs.

The two men pulled her out and laid her on the side of the road. There didn't seem to be any walkers nearby, but that didn't mean that they wouldn't show up.

"Where the fuck are we?" Daryl asked, looking around.

Last he remembered they were on I-20.

"The border should be about 3 miles that way," Rick pointed down the road. "Probably an overlook somewhere nearby."

"Fuckin' Christ," Daryl cursed. This meant that they were going to have to carry Carol for a while, exposing themselves to the possibility of death the entire time.

"Fine, let's get going," he added.

He bent down to pick up Carol, but Rick stopped him.

"You're in no condition to be carrying her," he said, looking down at Daryl's stomach.

Rick was right - the exertion might stress the baby, but still.

"And there's no way that I'm going to let anyone else take her."

Rick frowned.

"If you end up… I don't know, going into labor, or getting hurt, you're one more person that we have to worry about."

"I'll be fine," Daryl replied, teeth clenched. He wanted to punch Rick for getting them into this mess! What the hell had the man swerved for?

Rick decided to back down yet again. He could see that Lori was watching, giving him an angry look. He'd only just missed her! She had appeared out of nowhere and now she was mad at _him_?! He glared back at her, then forced himself to return to the situation at hand.

"Fine. But if you start gettin' tired, you tell me."

"Yeah. Whatever." He turned to Carl, "Get what you can from the back. Blankets, meds, water. I'm gonna take my cross bow."

Carl nodded, handed the baby to Rick and went over to grab what he could, stuffing much of it into a large backpack. He then began to fill a smaller bag with whatever else would fit.

In the end, he slung the small pack over his shoulder and moved towards his father.

"Trade you?"

Rick nodded, handed Judith over and took the large bag for himself.

Meanwhile, Daryl took up his cross bow, then bent down next to Carol. He picked her up and began carrying her, bridal style, down the road.


	25. Chapter 25

Ch. 25

The fight at the college had been short but bloody.

The Governor himself had joined his men in action, forcing their way into the building and shooting the place up.

Michonne and David had taken some of the men out, bringing the group from seven down to four.

Beth had taken Elena and had hid. As far as David, Michonne and Hershel were concerned, this was a good thing.

The battle raged on. Michonne decapitated Martinez, snickering as his head rolled towards the Governor, stopping right before it hit his feet.

Enraged, the Governor lunged at her. Sword ready, Michonne moved to stab him, but… missed.

There was a good reason for this, though. The Governor was dead, face down on the ground. A bullet had flown through his back and hit his heart.

Michonne looked up to see Jake standing nearby, gun in hand.

"Thanks."

"He was a scumbag," Jake replied. "And besides, I did it for the old man, not for you."

00

The last two men were easily taken out by David. The battle could have been considered a huge success, had it not been for one thing: Hershel was dead.

Beth had been the one to find him, stabbed through the heart, lying in a pool of blood.

To David's surprise, the girl didn't cry. She just stood there, staring.

"I'm sorry," David told her, coming closer. He wrapped an arm around her, physically trying to show his support.

"Eric did it."

Jake was talking. David and Beth turned to him.

"I saw him. That's why I shot the Governor. That old man… He was decent to me. Cleaned me up. He didn't deserve that."

Beth nodded in understanding.

The group stood there for several minutes in silence, before Michonne suggested that they find a burial spot. She sent David and Jake out on that mission, and asked Beth to tend to Elena.

After everyone had left, Michonne said a quick prayer and pierced Hershel's skull with her katana. There would be no 'coming back' for him.

00

Daryl, Rick and Carl had been walking for miles. It was a brutally hot day, and everyone was sweating, especially Daryl.

The events of the past months had taken their toll and Daryl was tired. He forced himself along, telling himself that he had no choice but to keep moving.

It took nearly three hours before they found an overlook. Thankfully, it had a shady rest area and was high enough to where they'd be able to see any walkers coming.

The group pushed themselves up hill to get to it. As soon as they arrived, Daryl laid Carol out on one of the shaded picnic tables and took a seat. Carl handed him a bottle of water, which he proceeded to chug down.

"Hey, don't drink that so fast," Rick warned.

Daryl glared at him, but continued to drink as he pleased, finishing the entire liter off.

Seconds later, he regretted this decision. His stomach lurched and he bent over, vomiting up most of the water.

Rick sighed loudly, his way of saying 'I told you so'.

"Ugh," Daryl groaned, after the last of it was out.

Carl came closer and looked him over.

"Daryl, you need to rest. You go lie in the shade and we'll take a look at Carol."

Daryl's first instinct was to protest, but he knew the boy was right. He felt terrible. He would not be of any use to anyone the way he was.

Carl pulled a small fleece blanket out of his bag and rolled it up, then handed it over.

"Use that as a pillow." Then he handed Daryl another bottle of water, and a roll. Glenn had baked several before they'd left.

"Eat and drink. Slowly," Carl reminded him.

Daryl simply nodded, mumbled a thanks, and walked off to a shadier area.

Carl and Rick, meanwhile, turned their attention to Carol.

00

"Carol," Rick said, gently tapping her on the cheek. "Carol, can you hear me?"

No response.

Rick again checked for a pulse. It was there, and she was breathing evenly.

"Maybe if we cool her down it'll help some?" Carl suggested.

"It might." The heat had been intense, maybe cooling her down wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"There's a stream downhill," Carl noted. "We could wet some blankets, cover her up. Might help."

Rick didn't like the idea of his son going off by himself, but he didn't want to leave Daryl, Carol and Judith alone, either.

"You got your gun?"

"Of course."

"Alright. Go as fast as you can, and keep quiet."

"Okay."

Rick watched as his oldest child ran off. For the time being, all was quiet. Judith was sleeping. Daryl seemed to be sleeping as well. The sheriff sat down on the bench of the table Carol was on.

_"I'm tryin', Lori. I really am."_

She was sitting next to him, looking at him sadly.

_"At least Judith and Carl are alright. Ya shouldn't have jumped out in the road like that though! Almost killed us!"_

There was no response. Lori just continued to look sad, until she disappeared.

Just in time, too. Carl had returned.

"I found a bucket down near the stream. Filled it up. We can keep the blanket cool if we keep dipping it in. We ought to get her clothes off."

Rick nodded in agreement and the two disrobed her, trying their best to be as considerate as possible. They left her wearing only a pair of underwear and a bra.

"There we go," Carl said, folding the clothes. He pushed them off to the side while Rick proceeded to cover her body with the cool, wet blanket.

"We got anything else to use as a pillow?"

Carl thought for a second.

"I got an extra set of scrubs. Can put 'em under her head."

"Yeah, give me those."

Carl dug through the backpack and pulled out the garments.

The two placed them under her head.

Rick took a step back and did a once over. If she wasn't awake in the next hour, they'd have to try to hydrate her manually.

"Let's hope this works," he said, sitting back down.

00

David quickly dug a grave for Hershel while Michonne dealt with the Governor's group's bodies.

Most of them got a knife to the head, but the Governor…. She didn't want to give him that dignity.

After some digging around, she found some chains. She tied the body to a heavy radiator, making sure to put a leash around his neck as well as around his wrists.

She would let him turn. Let him turn to a walker, chained to a fence, to 'live' until his body decayed enough to where there was nothing left to function. He deserved it, she reasoned.

00

Once Beth had said her final goodbyes, the group packed up.

Their last act was to leave a note on the entrance for Glenn and Maggie.

'Left state. Meet at first overlook in SC.'

They signed it "David, Michonne & the rest".

00

As the sky grew dark, Rick knew that they had to find shelter.

There was a small shed located near the overlook, probably where maintenance tools were kept. If they could clear it out, it would provide adequate protection for the evening.

Carol was still out. She had opened her eyes once or twice, but she had yet to fully wake up. This left Daryl in a panic. Both Rick and Carl could tell that he was trying not to show it, but Daryl was obviously afraid. He sat near Carol, holding her hand, kissing it occasionally.

Rick and Carl decided to leave Daryl there while they cleared the shed out. It only took a few minutes and when they were done, they began setting up makeshift beds.

The backpacks were used as pillows, and each person got a blanket. Carl pulled out the bottles of water that they had and lined them up against the wall, along with the food he had managed to grab.

When everything was ready, they walked back over. Rick quietly carried Carol to the shed while Daryl slowly trudged behind. Carl took Judith.

Rick secured the door from the inside, ensuring that if anything tried to get in, it'd have a hard time. Carl took the time to build a small fire in the metal bucket that he had found. Since there were no windows, the fire could be safely lit and would provide light.

Their next task was to make some food.

"We got bread, oatmeal, peanut butter and a few bags of rice," Carl said, poking through the food.

"Not hungry," Daryl replied.

"You need to eat," Rick countered. He wasn't going to let Daryl continue to put himself and the baby in danger. "You only ate a roll today. You and the baby need more than that."

"We'll be fine," Daryl answered. He looked back down at Carol. He was too worried to eat. How could he, knowing that she might die?

Carl tried a different tactic.

"You know, when she wakes up, she might need some help gettin' around, and she'd probably want you to do it. Would be a shame if you couldn't because you were too weak."

That idea made sense to Daryl.

"You've got a point, kid."

"Yeah, I know. So you'd best eat something."

The fact that Carl had confidence that Carol would make it made Daryl feel slightly better. And the kid was right, she probably would need help, at least for a couple days or so.

"Alright, give me some more bread."

Carl smiled and handed over two rolls along with the jar of peanut butter. Daryl readily accepted them, dipped a piece of bread into the jar and started to chow down.

He was on his second roll when he groaned.

Rick, who was feeding Judith oatmeal, looked up.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah…She just. She kicked again. Ooh," he groaned, as the baby hit him once again.

"She's probably pissed off at all that walkin' you did earlier," Rick joked.

"Oh. Ow, she seems like it!" He rubbed his stomach, "Calm down now! We're safe."

Rick smiled. He remembered Lori talking to Carl when he was in her belly.

"Can I feel?" Carl asked.

"Yeah, sure."

The kid made his way over and sat down next to him. Daryl guided his hand to a specific part of his belly. As soon as Carl's palm made contact, the baby kicked again.

"Wow! That's cool!"

Daryl grinned.

"She's gonna be a real little ass kicker!"

"She?" Rick asked.

"Oh...I think it's a girl."

"A little girl, eh? Judith can have a playmate!"

Daryl smiled again.

"Yeah, she could."

The rest of the evening was spent talking and checking on Carol every hour or so.

Rick and Carl fell asleep close to midnight. After that, Daryl once again fell into a depression. He let out the tears that he had been fighting on and off since the accident. Carol had to be okay. Had to. He needed her. The baby needed her. The thought of her dying - of having to bury her, never see her again, tore him up inside. Eventually he cried himself to sleep.


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: This chapter contains graphic mentions of cleaning out a wound. Blood and pus and such. Just a heads up.

Ch. 26

The next morning, Daryl was woken up by the feeling of someone shaking him.

"Huh?" He asked.

He opened his eyes to see none other than Carol kneeling next to him.

"Carol!" He sat up and hugged her, ignoring the pain in his back. Sleeping on the ground wasn't particularly helping his muscles. "Thank God you're alright! We were so worried!"

Carol hugged him back, tightly.

"When'd you wake up?" Daryl asked.

"A couple hours ago. I'm sorry I scared you. I'm okay, though. But you, my dear, are not."

"What? I'm fine!"

Carol shook her head.

"I woke up to see you tossing and turning. And your eyes are puffy."

Daryl blushed.

"I...We didn't know if you…" he trailed off, embarrassed.

"It's okay. I'm glad that you care about me so much, but I'm sorry again."

"It's really not your fault. You couldn't help it. Rick's the one who veered off the road. Speaking of…" Daryl looked around, noticing that only Carl and Judith were there. "Where'd he go?"

"Walked down to the stream a few minutes ago. Took the water bottles, said he'd refill them."

"Oh."

Carol shrugged and hugged Daryl again. Both of them enjoyed the feeling of being in each other's arms.

00

Down at the stream, Rick was doing his best to refill on water. They'd gone through most of it the night prior.

The area was quiet save for the sound of gently rushing water. Even so, Rick was always on guard. Therefore, he didn't jump when he heard someone call out his name.

"Rick?"

Rick turned to see Lori, standing there, in the creek, wearing that wedding dress again. Parts of the fabric were getting soaked.

_"Lori, baby…"_ Rick put down the bottles on the shore. _"Baby, you're gettin' all wet standin' there!"_

Lori smiled.

"It's alright. I'm sorry about before."

_"With the road? Carol got hurt."_

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted you to know that I'm with you."

_"You coulda just shown up when we got to the overlook."_

Now Lori looked sad, and it hurt Rick to see it. He took a step forward, wanting to hold her, but his foot caught on a rock. He tripped, falling forward. His leg hit a sharp rock. The first thing Rick did was register the pain of it. The second thing he did was look up. Lori was gone.

00

Rick limped back up hill to the building, carrying some water with him. He had cut himself during the fall, but didn't want to make a big deal of it. Everyone was already wary of him because of the car accident – he didn't want to make things worse.

Right before he went in, he did his best to cover up the cut with his jeans. They were torn, but not that badly. He brought the water inside and sat down with everyone else.

00

Time wore on. Carol seemed to feel fine – well enough to help care for Judith and to pass out rations to the group. Everyone was astounded by her quick recovery. Daryl, personally, took it as some type of miracle. He'd thought for sure that she might die.  
As morning turned to afternoon, the sound of a car driving by caught everyone's attention.

Rick was the first to peek his head out. There was the other car that had been packed at the college – the others had arrived!  
Michonne got out of the car, followed by Beth and David, who was holding Elena's hand.

"You guys made it!" Rick exclaimed, happily.

However the others did not share his enthusiasm. Then it hit him.

"Where's Hershel?"

David shook his head, and no one said a word.

"Oh, God."

Carol, Daryl and Carl soon joined Rick outside.

"Guys," Rick said, softly. "Hershel didn't make it."

There was a murmur of condolences, mainly to Beth. Daryl noticed that the girl looked terribly sad.

David was holding her, at least. Arm around her, planting kisses on top of her head. She was lucky to have him, especially right then.

"At least you guys are here," Carl finally said. "I guess everything went to hell back there?"

"The Governor showed up with seven other men. We took 'em down. The bright side is that he's gone now. Won't be coming after you." David said the last line looking at Daryl, and the hunter suddenly felt terrible again. This was all his fault. Hershel was dead because of him, just like Merle.

Carol must have read his mind, or something like that, because she took his hand and led him back inside.

"Come on," she said, to everyone else. "We have a little space in here. We'll get you guys some food and water and figure out what to do from here."

00

"Since we left a note for Glenn and Maggie saying to meet us here, we should wait a few days. We can see any walkers from up here and there's a stream nearby for water," David said.

He kept glancing over at Rick. Something was off with the older man. He was sure of it. He seemed to be sweating a lot and was looking rather pale.

Still, he hadn't complained, so David figured he would wait to see how the evening went before questioning him.

"I agree," Michonne replied. "We should wait. But where do we go after they arrive?"

"With the Governor gone, we could head back to Georgia," Carol suggested.

"We could," Rick agreed. "But maybe we shouldn't."

"How come?" Beth was speaking, now.

"Because maybe it'd be good to get a fresh start. We're already in South Carolina. We could stay here. Or move on. The only thing we really need to do is make sure we find a place to settle before Daryl has the baby."

That was another thing. How would they get the baby out without Hershel? Daryl had been counting on him to perform a c-section. That was stupid, he thought to himself. Counting on anyone for anything. Any of them could die at any time.

"Somewhere high up," Carol said. "Like this, but with more space. But somewhere near a town, too. For supplies."

"That's another thing. Supplies. We're going to need to get Daryl some baby stuff, and more things for Judith too."

The whole conversation made Daryl's head spin. They'd all just reunited! Couldn't they just relax for the evening?

"We have time to decide. Plus maybe Glenn and Maggie found something suitable," Daryl cut in. "We should wait and see what they say."

"That's fair," David answered. "I agree."

00

David woke up to the sound of someone groaning.

He glanced around, noticing that everyone was still asleep.

It didn't sound like something a walker would make, so it had to be someone in the room. David did another once over. His eyes landed on Rick.

The man was curled up in the fetal position, drenched in sweat and shaking, but apparently asleep.

'Fuck', he thought to himself.

He wondered if Rick had gotten bitten, and had maybe not told anyone.

Quietly as possible, he stepped around everyone until he got to the ex-cop.

"Rick," he whispered, shaking him.

Rick groaned again and tried to bat him away.

"Rick, wake up," he tried again.

This time Rick opened his eyes, which David noticed were glazed.

"Rick… you're sick. Come on." The young man pulled Rick up like he'd done so many times before with Daryl and helped him towards the door. A quick listen proved that there were not any walkers outside, so David opened it and dragged Rick out.

The sun was just coming up. Perfect timing. He'd need light to see what was going on.

David set Rick down on the ground. The man immediately curled up again.

"It's so cold," Rick mumbled, shivering.

Considering it was already in the low 80s, David was really worried.

"Rick, look at me." David knelt down near him and shook him again.

"Wha..?"

"Rick… did you get bit?"

Rick raised an eyebrow.

"N-no…"

"Well you're sick. Burnin' up."

Despite Rick's answer, David didn't trust him.

"Listen, I'm real sorry, but I gotta check you."

"I didn't get bit!" Rick protested, sitting up.

"Well then prove it. If you didn't get bit, show me."

Rick glared at him, but slowly began to remove his shirt. His chest, much like his face, was covered in sweat, but there were no bite marks.

"Now your jeans."

Rick sighed but complied, pulling the torn jeans off.

David scanned him, looking for any evidence of a bit, when his eyes settled on the gash on Rick's calve. It was deep and covered in dried blood and what looked like pus.

"Jesus Christ," David said, stunned. "Rick, you've got an infection."

Rick looked down at his leg.

"That? It's just a cut."

"It's covered in blood and pus! We need to get you cleaned up, now."

David marched back inside and woke Carol. She was gentle, she might be able to help out.

"What's going on?" Carol asked, voice thick with sleep.

"Rick got cut. Has an infection."

Carol groaned.

"…Shit. Alright. You guys took a bunch of supplies from the college, right? Rubbing alcohol, bandages?"

"Yeah."

"Go get 'em. Alcohol, bandages, cotton swabs, a bottle of clean water, and tweezers too. If you got 'em. I think he's got some dirt stuck in there."

"Okay." David walked off towards the car and began unloading one of the bags. He pulled out the needed supplies and came back over.

"Maybe we ought to get someone to stand guard while we do this," Carol suggested. "Because it's gonna hurt, and he's gonna make noise."

"I can hear you," Rick said, softly.

"Fine. You might scream so we need someone to keep watch so if any walkers come… Or," she began, another idea coming to mind. "We can gag you."

"Really?" Rick was angered by her suggestion.

When Carol didn't response, he rolled his eyes.

"Give me a fuckin' gag then."

Carol nodded and began looking around for a stick for Rick to bite down on. When she found one suitable, she placed it in his mouth.

"Bite down."

Rick did as he was told, watching as David laid out the products that Carol had requested.

"Alrighty…" She sat down near Rick and began to look over his wound more in depth. "Water, please."

David handed her the bottle of water, and she poured it over the wound, removing much of the blood and some of the pus along with some debris.

"Cotton balls, alcohol and the tweezers."

David handed them all over.

Carol doused a cotton ball in the alcohol.

"This is really gonna hurt."

With that, she began clearing away extra dried blood. She pulled off as much pus as possible, as well, though this just made the wound ooze more. Each time, she did her best to clean it up. Every few minutes she would use the tweezers to remove a piece of wood or dirt as well.

Rick wanted to scream. It took all of his power not to yell as Carol scrubbed away at him.

"Damn. This is really bad," Carol noted.

When she finally got the wound clean, she asked for bandages and wrapped him up.

"We've got to keep an eye on him," she told David. "Check his bandages every few hours. If there's any Tylenol in that bag, he needs that, along with some water. We gotta bring his fever down." She removed the stick from Rick's mouth as she said all this, ignoring the tears that were now running down his face.

"We've got some," David replied, pulling out a large bottle of the medicine.

"And you," Carol said, looking at Rick, "You and I need to talk when you're feeling better. Something's up with you. I'm not sure what it is, but the car crash, and now this…If there's something you're not telling us, please don't keep it a secret any longer."

"Not...hiding…anything…" Rick responded. He was shivering again and felt like he was going to vomit.

"I hope not," Carol said. "David, help him back inside."


	27. Chapter 27

Ch. 27

Despite Carol's treatment of Rick's wound, his infection got worse and worse.

By the end of the day, he was reduced to lying in Carl's arms, half asleep, sweating and shaking.

The others did their best to help. David had found a few disposable ice packs in the bag of supplies and had placed them under Rick's arms, in the hopes of cooling the man down. He also tried to get Rick to drink water and take Tylenol.

He had been successful in this at first, but eventually, Rick started getting sick if he so much as took a sip of water.

Thus, the bucket that Carl had found was kept nearby.

Rick had never felt so sick in his life. Even when he'd woken up in the hospital – recovering from bullet wounds was less painful than this. It frightened him.

00

When night fell, Beth decided to give Carl a break and took over. Rick seemed somewhat calmer if someone was nearby, holding him, and since no one was sure if he would die, the group felt it best to make him as comfortable as possible.

Around dawn was when the talking started. It had woken Beth up. Rick was speaking, but it was hard to understand him. Alarmed, she woke Carl and David.

David kneeled down near Rick and touched his forehead.

"He's still really hot. Looks dehydrated too. We need to do something, need to get fluids in him and keep him cool."

"How're we gonna do that?" Carl asked. "He pukes up everything we give him."

"We have some bags of saline, maybe one of us can figure out how to hook up an IV."

"I can do it."

Everyone looked at Beth, who had just spoken.

"You know how to hook up an IV?"

"I saw daddy do it before. It's not that hard. Maggie would be better at it but I think I can get it in."

David and Carl looked at each other.

"Worth a try," Carl said, standing up. "Where's the saline?"

"Should be in a cooler in the back. Make sure there's no walkers outside before you go."

Carl nodded and walked towards the door.

The sound of his footsteps started waking others. Carol was the next to sit up, followed by Daryl and eventually Michonne.

"Everything okay?" Carol asked.

"Rick's doin' worse. We're gonna try to hook him up to an IV. He needs fluids."

"Lo…." Came a soft voice. Rick's voice. Everyone turned to him.

"What's going on, Rick?" David asked.

"Mmm…" Rick sighed. "So sorry…"

David raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry about what?"

"Lori… So sorry. I tried…"

Now Carol was suspicious.

"What'd you try?"

"To miss you. But you were in the way… So sorry."

"I knew it!" David stood up, enraged. "I fucking knew it!"

"What are you talking about?" Daryl was staring at him like he had grown lobster claws.

"I knew he stopped taking his meds! Fuck! The whole thing – the van accident you guys were in –he saw Lori in the road!  
Dammit!"

"Wait. I mean, he's not all there right now. He's probably just rambling," Beth said.

"No he's not. I'll prove it." He kneeled down next to Rick again. "Rick, Lori's here. She says she forgives you for almost hitting her."

A slight smile formed on Rick's face.

"Thank you… didn't mean for it…"

"See? He acknowledged that he almost hit her. He saw her. He's off those meds!"

"Fuck," Daryl said, "So he's been looney for the past week?"

"He's been hiding it. Now he can't."

Right then, Carl returned with the box containing the saline bags. He noticed the looks on everyone's faces.

"Somethin' going on?"

There was a short silence before Carol spoke up.

"Might as well be honest with you, kid. Carl, your dad's seeing your mom again."

For some reason, Carol expected Carl to be upset, but he wasn't.

"Oh. I'm not surprised," was his only reply.

"Did you know he wasn't taking his medicine?" David questioned.

"No. I thought maybe he just felt better. That the side effects cleared up. I'm not surprised because, fuck… it's a fuckin' zombie apocalypse. Nothing surprises me."

"Oh."

"We're still gonna help him though, right?" Now Carl seemed nervous.

David sighed.

"Of course we're going to help him. Even if he doesn't deserve it."

Carl nodded and handed the box over.

"Good."

David handed the box to Beth who began rummaging through it.

"If you got any butterfly needles and an IV line, it'd help. I need somethin' to hook it onto, as well."

"I can work on that. There's a bucket of old nails and tools in the back. I'll get you a place to hook it into," Michonne offered. It wasn't so much that she wanted to help rick, just, hammering would give her an outlet for the anger she felt towards him.

"I think I saw some old two by fours around back too. Can hammer a nail into one of those," she added.

"Thank you," Carl answered, sincerely.

Michonne just nodded and made her way to the back of the building, digging for the tools that she needed.

"I'll get the butterfly needles." David stood up to go.

00

Soon enough, Michonne had hammered a large nail into a two by four that was leaned against the wall. It would hold up Rick's IV.

Carol had helped to make Rick more comfortable by giving up her blanket to use as another pillow. Daryl offered up his as well, seeing as how Rick was still shivering.

And Beth… Well, Beth got the IV in on her first try. Everyone was impressed.

"Let's hope this helps," David said. "Otherwise, we're gonna have to get him some antibiotics, and soon."

00

Throughout the day, Rick showed some signs of improvement. He became lucid for a few minutes here and there, but it was always followed by him regressing back to his semi-conscious state.

By the time it was dark, Rick was once again curled up and shivering despite the blankets he had on him. Carol was near him now, gently dabbing his forehead with a cool, wet cloth.

Daryl understood that Rick was very ill, but he couldn't help but feel a small twinge of jealousy that Carol was looking after Rick instead of him.

He did his best to ignore it. After all, she and David had done basically everything for him since he'd gotten out of Woodbury.

He fell asleep that night, by himself, hand resting on his belly, wondering what was going to happen next.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: The next chapter will be more interesting.

Ch. 28

The following day wasn't much better than the previous one. Rick had started vomiting bile, and had begun to cry intermittently, mumbling things about Lori and Judith and Carl that no one could really understand.

David was making plans for a supply run back to the college. They had to have antibiotics there, and he could probably make it back within eight hours or so.

Just as he finished his plan, he heard voices outside. Instantly recognizable voices.

Maggie and Glenn had found them.

00

"You're back!" Beth came running out of the shed and hugged her sister tightly.

"That we are. We saw your note," Maggie replied.

"Not to mention the bodies," Glenn said.

"There was quite a blood bath," David told them.

Michonne stood to the side, smirking. Maggie and Glenn instantly knew why.

"He was turned, you know," Glenn informed her. "Still tied up. You did a good job with that."

Michonne smiled.

"I tried."

"What do they mean?" Carol asked.

"She tied the Governor up. Let him rot chained to the radiator. Fucker deserved it in my opinion," Glenn explained.

"That he did. Thank you," Daryl looked at Michonne.

"No problem."

"Anyway", Maggie started, We found a place way out there, near Paris Mountain State Park. It's a community. Real nice, the people seem friendly. We told them what happened and they said we could join them. I think it might be our best bet for now, considering Daryl's condition. They have a nurses station there."

"He's not the only one we have to worry about," Carol responded, gravely. "Rick's bad off. Has a bad infection."

"Oh… isn't dad taking care of him?"

The sorrowful look on everyone's faces told Maggie the answer to that.

"He didn't make it, did he."

Carol shook her head 'no' and Beth once again hugged her sister.

"Jacob shot the Governor for killing him," David said. "But…I'm sorry. It was fast, I think. And he definitely didn't turn."

Maggie didn't say anything. What could she say, really?

00

The community was two hours from the overlook, so the group decided to make the trip that day.

The problem was, without the van, they had to figure out a way to squeeze everyone into two relatively small cars.

With Rick being as ill as he was, he was going to be in the first group. Beth, Carl and Judith would also be taken. Maggie would drive them.

Glenn would drive Michonne, Carol, Daryl and David, who would keep Elena on his lap.

They packed as much as they could into the trunks of the cars and were off, everyone hoping that the trip would go smoothly.

00

Rick was in a really bad way by the time they'd arrived. Beth had had to unhook his IV and his fever seemed to be getting worse. He'd also vomited on himself a few times. Maggie had to open the windows so that the rest of them wouldn't get sick from the smell of it.

They arrived at the camp to see several people waiting for them. People who Maggie and Glenn had already met.

As Carl got out of the car to help Maggie with Rick, a young red-headed woman came over.

"Hello," she greeted them. "Let me help you."

The woman had an obvious French accent.

Maggie nodded and motioned for Carl to move.

"This is Amelie," Maggie introduced her, as everyone else got out of the car. "She's one of the nurses here."

"Oui. We must get him to the station." She motioned for another person, a man, to come over.

"And this is Marco," Maggie said.

The man was much older, in his late 50s or so, and had graying hair. His most noticeable feature was his bright blue eyes.  
Marco nodded at the newbies and helped Amelie take Rick to the nurses' station. By that point, he had lost consciousness, so they ended up dragging him along.


	29. Chapter 29

Ch. 29

The first thing that Rick became aware of was the sound of a woman's voice.

She had a French accent and was talking to someone else - a male.

"We'll make sure that he gets his medicine," the woman said, reassuringly. "I promise."

"Alright, I believe you. I just wanted to remind you."

"Oui. It will be fine."

Then there were footsteps, and apparently, the man left.

It was then that Rick cracked open his eyes. The source of the female voice was immediately apparent. A beautiful, red headed young woman sat near him, gently dabbing his forehead with a wet rag. She had pale, smooth skin and beautiful green eyes. She looked almost like an angel.

"Bonjour," the woman greeted him, smiling.

"Hi."

"You were asleep for quite a while! Gave your friends a scare, but we got you in time."

Rick nodded and looked around. He was in a makeshift hospital, which, he had to admit, was pretty nicely set up, all considering. The mattress he was lying on was soft and comfortable, and his head rested on an actual pillow. A yellow blanket covered him.

"Where am I?"

"You are in Fe. Your friends brought you here for help."

Rick searched his memory, trying to dredge up anything related to coming there, but he couldn't think of anything.

"My name's Rick," he finally said. He moved to shake her hand but was pulled back by an IV line.

The woman smiled again.

"Je suis Amelie. Do not move, or you will dislodge the IV."

"Okay." Rick looked around some more. He noticed that another man was sitting in a bed across from him.

"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," Daryl grinned, waving at him.

"Daryl."

"That's me."

"Why're you here?"

"Well, being six months pregnant took its toll. I'm on bedrest for the rest of it."

Six months? Hadn't Daryl been closer to five months just a few days ago?

"Just how long have I been here?" Rick finally asked.

"Oh," Amelie replied, "You've been in and out for about three weeks."

Rick considered this.

"There's a lot to catch up on then, I guess."

00

It turned out that Fe was an oasis of sorts. Almost a utopia. The community was made up of both young and old alike, and everyone contributed in some way shape or form.

It had been started by a small band of survivors from Greenville. They'd been neighbors when the virus had broken out, and they'd fled to the state park, high in the mountains where they could see any walkers.

Slowly, they'd built up a wall. Then they'd built a village, utilizing structures that were already in place and building some of their own.

Anyone who wanted to join was allowed to enter, though there was a month long trial period, at the end of which a vote was cast by the permanent members. If the new person didn't seem to work well with the others, they were made to leave.

There wasn't any currency. Everyone shared the skills that they had. Farming was done in various locations, with every plot of viable land in use. Those plots were worked by people who had been farmers previously or who had experience working with gardening.

Two school teachers taught the children, ensuring that they received at least a basic education. Once they became teenagers, the plan was for them to work as apprentices in whichever job they found most interesting.

There was a blacksmith, two tailors, four hunters and a butcher. And, of course, there were guards. Men and women whose sole job it was to watch for walkers and take them down.

It seemed too good to be true. Almost like Woodbury, but slightly less modern, and run in a truly democratic manner. All major decisions were voted upon, and unnecessary violence towards any member of the community was grounds for immediate removal.

As he learned about Fe, Rick also learned about the past month's events.

He learned how Carl, Beth and David had taken care of him (he didn't remember anything about being in the shed at the overlook) and how Maggie had driven him there.

Apparently, he had been quite close to death, but Marco - Fe's lead doctor - had managed to save him with some antibiotics. He'd been resting in the nurses station since.

Apparently, Carl and Judith had moved in with David, Beth and Elena. The citizens of Fe had helped to build them a small home, something they did for all new residents.

Maggie and Glenn were living together, too, while Michonne had joined the guard team and was living with a woman she had met at work.

That just left Daryl and Carol.

A shelter had been built for them, as well, though Daryl hadn't spent much time in it. Within two weeks of entering Fe, he'd started experiencing dizzy and fainting spells, hence his residence at the station as well.

Amelie explained all of this as she and Rick walked through the small village. It was beautiful, truly, and he sincerely hoped that he and his group would be allowed to stay. He had volunteered to work the guard team, or to work as a farmer, whichever was needed more, in the hopes that it might push the residents towards letting them become permanent.

Amelie had smiled at that.

"We already voted," she told him, leading him over to a small stream. The two sat down near the waters edge and watched it flow.

"You're all welcome here, but," she looked him straight in the eyes, "You must take your medication."

Suddenly, the guilt of everything hit Rick like a ton of bricks. How he'd caused a car accident that had hurt Carol. How he'd injured himself, and thus made the rest of the group's lives harder.

The sad look on his face made Amelie frown.

"Rick… I believe you are a good man. I believe you are a strong man. But I must hear you say it - will you take the medicine? We cannot risk the lives of others here."

Rick opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

He wanted to take the medicine, he really did, but it made him so weak! Useless, really!

"...It has very bad side effects, Amelie," he tried to explain. "It made me weak as a kitten! I wouldn't be any good to you if -"

"About that," she cut him off, "While you were resting, I discussed with David the amount of medicine you were taking. It was far too great. Marco feels that you will have much more success with a smaller dosage, but you must commit to taking it."

"I… Yeah, okay," Rick agreed. "But if it messes me up… Please, let the others stay. They're strong and they're good."

"You have my word," Amelie promised.

00

Three nurses worked at the nurses station along with Marco, but Amelie was the one who spent the most time with Rick.

She amazed him, really.

So beautiful, and kind and carefree. She reminded him almost of a child, her eyes lighting up if she saw a butterfly or fireflies in the evenings.

Every morning, she would rouse him, allowing him to wake to her smiling face. Then she would give him some breakfast, and his medicine, and they would talk.

She smelled like lilacs. Always seemed to smell like lilacs. It was intoxicating and Rick wondered how she managed to smell so nice all the time.

They spoke of many things, from her childhood in France, to Rick's previous life as a sheriff in Georgia.

Amelie was young. Twenty three, she'd told him. But just as Rick had Carl and Judith, she, too was a parent. Her son Chrisophe was about the same age as Judith. Sadly, the boy's father had passed.

Sometimes, the two spoke of loss. Rick of the loss of his wife, his best friend and his previous existence in general. Amelie of her beloved husband and homeland.

There was a connection there. Rick could feel it. He sometimes wondered if it was the medicine - Marco had been right, the lower doses did have less side effects, and he hadnt seen Lori in quite some time - but for the first time in years, he felt happy.

Truly happy.

Amelie made him feel that way. Amelie and her lilac scented body and beautiful face and wavy red hair.

When another month passed, and Rick was deemed 'cured', it only seemed natural for him to take Carl and Judith to live with himself, Amelie and Christophe.

Maybe he could have a real family again after all.


	30. Chapter 30

Ch. 30

Daryl was now seven months pregnant.

And he was miserable.

Bored. Moody.

He wanted the baby out ASAP, but he still had two months to go.

The worst part of it all was being stuck in the nurses station.

Sure, it was nice there. The mattress was comfortable and there was a lot of fresh air. He was given fresh food and water and three meals a day and even snacks if he wanted, but he missed his freedom.

He also missed being able to see his fricking feet. His stomach was huge now.

"I feel like a fucking cow," he said to Carol, one day.

She visited him constantly, bringing news of how she was setting up their home. Two of the men from Fe had helped to build a bassinet, and she'd stitched together a nice quilt for the baby.

Carol had also met another woman who had taught her how to crochet, and so she had begun making baby outfits as well.

"You're not that big," Carol replied.

Daryl frowned.

"Come on. I look like I swallowed a… a beach ball, or somethin'. And there's still two more months to go! This kid's gonna be huge. At least, I hope it's mostly from the baby." Daryl wasn't overly vain, but having been fit his entire life, being big made him nervous. He wondered if he would be able to lose the weight he'd gained once the baby was born.

"You do not," Carol said, leaning in to peck him on the lips. "You look just fine to me."

Right then, Marco called out to them.

"Do you need anything else, Daryl?"

"I'm good," Daryl called back. He was the sole permanent resident of the nurses station, and was left to sleep alone at night. The sun was setting, so Marco and the others were about to leave.

"Okay then. Just holler if you need anything."

By that, Marco meant literally holler. He lived directly next door to the nurses station.

"Will do. G'night, doc."

"Good night!"

Daryl and Carol heard the door to the station close. They were alone now.

00

Daryl and Carol had never consummated their relationship.

There'd been the whole thing at the college, with him finishing prematurely, then with the Governor attacking, and then with Rick being sick. And then, Daryl was put on bed rest.

Much of those were excuses though. Had they wanted to, they could've gotten in some 'sexy time' somewhere along the line.

The truth was that Daryl was still afraid. Especially now, with his body the way it was.

The stars came out in the sky and Carol laid her head upon Daryl's chest, hand resting on his belly.

"I love you, you know."

Daryl nodded.

"I love you too."

The two shared a quiet, romantic moment. Then Carol began to kiss Daryl's neck. He groaned as her lips touched his skin, feeling warm and soft. He groaned even louder when she reached down between his legs and took hold of his cock, which was already half hard.

"You think you're ready?" Carol asked, before biting his lower lip.

"Mmm…" Daryl sighed.

He wasn't exactly feeling sexy, but it was clear enough that Carol still found him attractive.

"I think so," he replied, arching his back as Carol lowered herself down.

She pulled off the scrub pants he was wearing and wrapped her lips around his cock, starting off with a blow job in much the same way she had before. Only this time, when he was fully hard, she stopped.

She quickly undressed herself and moved back on top of him, straddling him. With one hand, she guided his cock to her hole.

"Ohh," Daryl moaned, as he felt himself enter her. It was so warm and tight. He told himself not to come. He wanted to enjoy this, at least for a few minutes.

"I'll go slow," she whispered.

She tugged at his shirt - it was a large tshirt that someone in the village had donated to him - hoping to pull it off, but he stopped her.

Rolling her eyes, she gently pushed his hand down.

"I love you and I want to see you," was all she said, before proceeding to take his shirt off.

Daryl closed his eyes as she did this, some small part of his mind still terrified that she might find him disgusting. He only opened them when he felt her hands on his sides, and her lips planting kisses on top of his stomach.

"You look fine," she told him, smiling when he finally made eye contact with her.

"Thanks," Daryl mumbled.

Carol sat back and began to slowly move up and down, occasionally leaning in to kiss her lover.

To Daryl's surprise, he ended up lasting a couple of minutes. It was only when Carol squeezed her muscles tightly around him that he came.

In the end, he was panting, muscles tensed but in a good way. Carol climbed off of him in search of a towel or something to clean herself up with.

When she returned to Daryl's side, he was once again wearing his scrubs, but he had a smile on his face. While the act had physically felt wonderful, he also felt like he and Carol had connected on a deeper level.

"So that's what making love feels like?" He asked, as she sat back down near him.

Carol grinned.

"Yes. Did you like it?"

"I did."

"Good," she kissed him on the lips, "Because I liked it too."


End file.
